The 1860s was A watershed in American history (the Civil War of 1861 - 1865). In 1914 World War 1 began. American literature within this period is noted for its realistic character. And literature between World War 1 & World War II is mostly of modernist character.
The Civil War in the USA cardinally changed the hislory of the country, Before the war American literature was marked with optimism & idea1ism, while postwar reality with its rapid industrialization, with growing lust for money & acquisition left no more room for idealism. The writers of this period realized that their task was not to take the reader away into the past or into some remote exotic places like Melville, or Cooper, or Poe did but that they should deal with everyday realities. Unlike Romaiitic characters who were usually outcasts, the characters of realislic novels were typical people of their time & place. Like the European counterparts American writers stressed the link between Man & society that is influence of society on the formation of human character. All these writers in some way dealt with the notion of the so called American Dream (the idea of having an opportunity to go "from rags to riches" - such a "poor-boy-gets-rich-myth"), explaining it, showing its reverse side. The most prominent writers of this period are: Mark Twain (originally - Samuel Clemens) (I 835 - 1910); Jack London (1876 - 1916); Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (1871 -1945).
Mark Twain was born on the Mississippi River, state Missouri. He spent his first 40 years there. The sight of the Mississippi River inspired him to become a pilot. Later it inspired his many works. He worked as a pilot for many years, his literary pseudonym came from this experience: his name means "two fathoms deep". So he commemorated his love to the river in this way.
1) The 1st period of his literary work (50 - 60s) was closely connected with & based on folklore popular stories, fairy tales, legends & tall tales (a tall tale is a humorous exaggerated story, common on the American frontier, often focusing on cases of superhuman powers). The most famous of his stories of the 1st period is "The Celebrated Gumping Frog of Calabenes Country". M. Twain's greatest merit was the introduction of the life language of his countrymen into literature.
2) The 2nd period of his work was the most productive & significant. A number of fantastic or imaginary tales were written at that time (the so called novels of the Old Times):
—"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1876) it is a book for & about children (!),yet it touches upon some serious matters. Its hero hates protests against hypocrisy, religious fanatism & philistinism;
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1884) - it is a sequel of the book about Tom Sawyer. This book was
written 8 years later when the situation in the country & Twain's view on the world had considerably changed. This hook can be defined as a picaresque novel. And sending Huck Finn & his companion (a run away black slave Jim by name) down the Mississippi River on a raft, the author enriches the novel with numerous themes& ideas. Twain managed to depict all the versatility of American life, to touch upon very many burning issues of the day (such as child abuse, violence, of all kinds, feud between families, fraud, etc.)
The most important theme of the novel is slavery in its narrow sense (black slavery) & in its broader sense (oppression of Man by society at large). The novel can be treated as an allegory of the lost hopes & unfulfilled desires, which rendered through the image of the City of Cairo situated on the Mississippi River which Huck Finn & his friend hoped to reach & find freedom there (a kind of "promised land". Yet they failed to notice this city because of the mist & sailed past it here is the frustration;
— "T he Prince and the Pauper" (1882) - it is one of Twain's three novels dedicated to the history of Europe (here - the middle of the 16th c.) The story deals with such historical figures as King Henry III & his son Edward, who alter his father's death became King of England but very soon died as he was a very weak boy. Twain did not show the historical process & event, and actually all his novels of this kind are of entertaining character. Behind the episode of English history lies Twain's hidden democratic idea. Through the adventures of Tom Canty - a poor hoy from the slums of London - Twain proves that the Royal power is not a gift given by the Heaven, and anyone who is endowed with wit & prudence can run a state;
-- “Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc" (1896)
- "A Connecticut Yankee in the Court of King Arthur" (1889) for its main character the story has a young average American who after an accident finds himself in Medieval England. Here the writer laughs both at the primitivism & naivety of the old limes & at the pragmatism, common sense & businesslike qualities of his countrymen. This American is taken for a magician as he predicts the sun eclipse (what he knew from his rudimental knowledge of history). He launches soap, bicycle production, etc.
3) The 3rd period of Twain's work (the last) was marked by his satirical attitude towards reality. In his publicist works & his numerous short stories he exposed many vices of American life, as well as political affaires & intrigues in many other parts of the world. One of the best-known works of the time are the satirical story "The Man That Corrupted Hadleydurg" (the themes here are money worship & hypocrisy), satirical pamphlels "We are Americanizing Europe", "As I Run for the Government” (a story), “The United States of Linchendom” (about racism in the USA).
Ernest Hemingway stressed the significance of Twain's "Huckleberry Finn": "All American literature had come out of the novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Indeed this book influenced American literature a lot. Besides Twain's merit also lies in the fact that he considerably broadened the language of literature by bringing into it the life language - colloquial language - of common people, by making use of its various dialects.
