nineteenth century literature

Throughout the course of American history, America’s literature change has been evident. Compared to Volume A with the foundation of classic American pieces, the juxtaposition between early nineteenth century writers is shocking. Due to ideas such as manifest destiny and transcendentalism, the composition of literature completely changed. Evident in many works written in the early nineteenth century, American aspirations, myths, and fears, created a foundation upon which modern American writing was born.
Greatly illustrated in early nineteenth century literature, the common theme of fear severed as an underlying tone in many popular works. Famously known and critically acclaimed, Edgar Allen Poe’s stories revealed a horrifying and seemingly unknown portion of human nature. One of the many gothic writers of his era, Poe put a certain demented twist into each of his pieces. Beginning when he was just a little child, Poe witnessed several tragic deaths of loved ones. These experiences mused later works such as the Masque of the Read Death and The Raven. But while alive, Poe was nowhere near as famous as today. Dying penniless and drunk, the reason of Poe’s death remains a mystery. In his last hours he was found wandering around the streets of Baltimore, wearing another mans clothes, and muttering strange words. But as of today, his works are celebrated as the crown jewel of the nineteenth century. His extensive works demonstrate not only Poe’s person fears, but also those feared by many. Illustrated in nearly all of his works, Poe’s fear of losing his sanity is ironically evident. In the Tell-Tale Heart the short stories’ narrator becomes insane simply because he is annoyed by his roommate’s eye. Even after the narrator has clearly ...

... middle of paper ...

...hitman describing his perfect version of America. It displays how he aspires for America to be less impatient and to never forget the past. Early nineteenth century writers displayed their many personal, and nationwide, aspirations through their literature, which vastly impacted American social norms and society.
Modern American aspirations, fears, and myths played an important part of early nineteenth century literature. Shaping literature from many angles, this era was full of influential change. In many ways, writers addressed their own personal fears, as well as those felt nationwide. In a way, writers wrote these things down to help people cope, dream, and even just to wonder about. Overall during the nineteenth century, literature dramatically shifted into an important part of Americans lives because of the personal connection they were able to make with it.