Creativity, literature and varied ethnicities throughout the 20th century made a huge impact on what defined “American culture.” America emerged as the dominant global power as the war ravaged through the world at the start of the 1900s. Following the war was a time of peace, which is also known as the “Roarin’ Twenties.” During this period, art and culture flourished, new artists and art forms emerged and new economic practices developed. After an era of peace, the nation fell into a Great Depression and all business growth fell to wayside. In the 30’s and 40’s, another world war broke out and demoralized the citizens of America. Although victorious, the US needed to rebuild in order to thrive once more. America was, and still is, known as …show more content…
With the international immigration and wide variety of art forms, it is truly a wonder how we came to intertwine international practices and call them our own. Beginning with the 20th century, artists and their creations generated thoughts and feelings that contributed to shaping and developing what we know today as “American culture,” consisting of a combination of various ethnical cultures and art pieces made from artists around the world. Historical events, along with the feelings and expressions of regular humans sculpted the “American culture At the turn of the century, artists and art forms emerged as a new source of entertainment and joy for the demoralized and war torn citizens of America. When the First World War broke out, families were disheartened as fathers, sons and husbands shipped out to help in the war effort. Following World War I, the Roarin …show more content…
American literature was not always a prized subject of discussion or education. Literature began to take precedence in the school curricula, but was short on supply. Prior to the 1870s, American literature had no importance to the students’ education. As the war was ravaging through Europe, citizens were alarmed and disheartened when their relatives shipped out for the war. Women took men's jobs and children stopped schooling to support their families. Most Americans had lost their spirit. Writers took their chance to create works and books that lifted the spirits of the entire nation, bringing joy and happiness back to American lives. According to the Gale Student Resources in Context, “As the Civil War changed the face of the United States and dealt a blow to the American spirit, so too the First World War swept the landscape of Europe, Paris, and other major cultural centers were besieged. Many of Europe’s writers fought in conflicts or wrote about the battles as correspondents and were greatly affected by the war.” Not only were European writers great influences on literature, American authors, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, E.E. Cummings, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and many more had their influence on American literature as well, helping citizens bear the pain and suffering of the war. Literature was another one of many creative forces that assisted in bringing
Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.
The 1920’s played a tremendous role in forming the lifestyle of our present day generation. The Roaring Twenties refers to a time period between 1920 and 1929 in which America celebrated youth and optimism . This optimism and overall good spirit led to new inventions and technological advances, predominately in the entertainment industry. In today’s society, the use of mass production, advertising and consumption have become a common practice, however these practices were during the early stages of the 1920’s. Culture played an important role in shaping this era – America observed social, cultural and artistic changes in their generation. While few may see the 1920’s as the birth of an overpopulated, “baby boom” generation, the majority of the general public view the 1920’s as a decade of social change that could potentially shape future generations to come.
Art is an artefact of the time or place as it is able to tell us about the people and the events that influenced the artists. These influences can be social, economic and cultural which is evident in two works of art from the period of post-WWII boom. These works are Richard Hamilton’s ‘Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?’ and Jasper Johns’ ‘Flag’.
In the text, “The American Cultural Configuration” the authors express the desire of anthropologists to study their own culture despite the difficulty that one faces attempting to subjectively analyze their own society. Holmes and Holmes (2002), use the adage “not being able to see the forest through the trees” (p. 5) to refer to how hard it is for someone to study something they have largely taken for granted. The Holmes' article focuses predominately on paradoxes within our own culture, many of which we don't notice. In a paradox, two contradicting statements can appear to be true at the same time. This essay looks at two paradoxes commonly found in everyday life: the individual versus the family and religion.
After the 1940 surrender of Paris, which many Americans viewed as the fall of culture due to Paris’ status as the international mecca for the arts, it was evident that the world required a new and superior cultural hub. Throughout the 1940s American artists, with the influence of European Modern and Surrealist painters, were able to elevate New York City to the center of the art world by implementing a “new, strong, and original” artistic style that simultaneously fought fascist ideology: Abstract Expressionism (Guilbault 65). After the war, galleries throughout Europe exhibited American Abstract art, Rothko’s in particular, to prove that American art, once thought tasteless, possessed artistic depth and merit (“Mark Rothko”). Therefore, Abstract Expression had a major role in making New York City the worldwide cultural metropolis that it is today. In terms of shifts in worldview, Abstract Expressionism placed a great importance on intense emotion and spirituality in a society where religiousness was, and continues to be, replaced by other, often self-centered or materialistic, pursuits. The movement allowed and encouraged the public to explore their darkest fears and woes, which, in the wake of the Second World War and, later on, during the Cold War was likely therapeutic. Above all else, it made society recognize that art should no longer be viewed with suspicion; instead, it should be accepted as an integral element of culture
The 1920s was seen as a turning point in American history in terms of literature, art, and music. Also known as the Jazz Age, the era brought new highly visible social and cultural trends. My research question asks not only how did the writers reflect their views, but how the historical context of that time period affected the minds of the intellectuals. I am interested in this topic because I wanted to investigate the reasoning behind modern literature, and arguably the first real American style, leaving behind the romantic 19th century British influenced writing and conservatism.
“The real war will never get in the books” Walt Whitman, who had volunteered as a nurse in army hospitals, famously claimed in Specimen Days (1892) (Whitman). The American Civil War represents a decisive and far-reaching turning point in the development of the United States as a nation. But how much of the “real war” can actually be conveyed via literary narrative? The gruesome experiences of the soldiers and the aftermath of battle? What about the establishment of a national identity and the transformation or disintegration of national ideals and ideology? Writers such as Ambrose Bierce, Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, Francis Lieber, or Henry W. Bellows did attempt to provide representations of war experiences and provide interpretations of the conflict. Mid 19th-century American nationalism tended to employ literature as a means of sustaining national ideals, evoke patriotic feeling and provide meaning in the face of unprecedented human tragedies. A comparison between two essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne that appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862 can provide an assessment of the role of literature during the war. These texts have been chosen not as a comprehensive representation of political, social or perhaps aesthetic attitudes regarding the Civil War and its meanings, but rather as an indication of the various, often contradictory, responses the war provoked. A close reading of the essays will enhance our understanding not only of public interpretations of the Northern war aims, but also the conflicting views on national promise and idealized hopes for the future along with the notion of national crisis – or a possible crisis in art and representation.
John Higham's essay "The Reorientation of American Culture in the 1890s" discusses the 1890s and how it was a series of turning points and crises for American society. Higham utilizes the idea of turning points and crises to discuss the 1890s rather than the idea of the 1890s as a watershed moment, often propagated by scholars of earlier decades, because each decade experienced social changes. The title of the essay suggest that the culture of the 1890s was reoriented or took a new direction. The American people, under various circumstances, reinvented their culture to represent the needs of American society. American society in the 1890s was affected by an economic crisis, industrial strife and political unrest. Although these economic and
this requires much loss and pain. The strive of the American culture for the attainment of such social luxuries is of great courage, will-power, faith and pride. During a time when the first World War had ended and the country was in a state of isolation, there were people within its borders that had an undying belief in what this country stood for. Though often overlooked and underappreciated in their time, artists had an advantage of using the suffering of the country and its industrial growth as a concentration for their bodies of work.
Although the end of World War II brought immense joy to the world, it was a turning point for American literature. Though the war was over, it was like starting over for America as it donned a new post war era. Authors and poets used their stories and characters to portray the grim era of that time and many of them reflected a guilt and disillusionment in the American dream. Though various writers had their own ideas of what the new post war America would shape out to be, not all had positive outlooks. It was a time of change as the United States was beginning its foray to the forefront of being the new cultural center and world power. Not only did a new generation come out of the war, but its ethnic, regional, and social character was
Kaplan, Wendy. The Art That Is Life: The Arts & Crafts Movement in America, 1875-
The post World War II period had an enormous impact on American society and literature. Many important events occurred and affected directly the movement of American literature. During this period, American Literature reflected the movement of disillusionment, and portrayed the lost generation. Many WWII writers adapted new approaches and philosophies in writing their novels. They portrayed the lost generation, an anti-war perspective and explored the true meaning of “war hero”.
American literature plays an important role in how our country develops, and its values contribute to society 's standards. Literature progresses in a series of religious, artistic, and philosophical movements.The writing of a movement greatly influences its time period and defines its era’s traits. Each movement responds to preceding ideas and challenges its beliefs.
In order to see how cultural and historical situations affect literature throughout history, it is important to get a brief history on each era discussed in this paper. The first era we will be reviewing will be writings from 1865-1914. The Civil War was just ending in 1865. America lost over a half of million Americans in the war. The nation was in a state of disorder and the south was devastated. Nevertheless, the country prospered. America became industrialized and saw innovations such as; the railroads, telegraph, telephone, and electricity. The population of the United States had also started to increase due to immigration.
It’s almost as if you take your own ideas and possibly your own culture and make it into an art piece. Art culture, specifically- illustration, affects everyone in multiple ways. We are affected by how we interpret meaning to a particular source and what we will see and learn from it. The culture affects us in a way of how we act, what we plan to do, how we achieve, and what it will give us the ability to do. People will often feel inspired by what this culture creates and how it will be created. It affects us in a way of business, due to the fact we can’t live without it and the fact that it keeps us