20th Century American Literature History

Author: Yang Renjing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-01-01
Features: American literature of the 20th century is often described as transitioning from modernism to postmodernism, but this is not entirely accurate. In the late 19th century, realism and naturalism swept in from Europe, challenging the influence of the earlier romanticism and sentimentalism. The political and economic development of American society itself called for realistic literature. The rapid growth of capitalist industrialization created a large number of new readers and opened up new markets for books. Novels became the most favored literary genre among readers, while drama and poetry also saw some development.