Anglo-Saxon Era (449-1066): Throughout the Fifth Century, Britain was bombarded by waves of Germanic invasions. They brought with them their complex theology of Gods, such as Oden and Thor, a concept of fate which they called "wyrd," and the concept of an afterlife, "valhalla." In 563, Irish missionaries began to convert Britain to Christianity. "'Weid has lured/ each of my family to his fated end, / each earl through his valor; I must follow them.'/ This was the aged man's uttermost word/ from the thoughts of his breast; he embraced the pyre's seething surges; soul left its case,/ going its way to the glory of the righteous." Beowulf, Unknown, (33-38)
Medieval English (1066-1485): The Church holds unchallenged power over all aspects of British life. The onset of the Black Death in 1348 kills 1/3 of all Britons, leading to a bleak view of life. "Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but carried by the will or our Lord Jesus into another place and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the Holy Cross." Le Morte D'Arthur, Thomas Malory.
English Renaissance (1485-1603): The English Church seperates from Rome under Henry VIII. More emphasis is placed on life in the present, but Christianity remains strong, as in Hamlet's Soliloquy.
Puritans / Colonial time (1600-1700): This literature was the highly Chrisitan work of the founders of American colonies. Examples include Jonathan Edwards's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," and various diaries and journals.
Neoclassicism / Early America (late 1700's): This period consisted mainly of political writings, such as Paine's Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence. It was a return to classical philosophical ideas.
Romanticism (1800's): These works sought to entertain or teach, but they treated certain subjects (like work and poverty) as taboo. The tone was subjective and emotional, with plots of stories concentrating on form and completed action and idealized characters that rule their own fate. Nature cooperates with the story (no rain at picnics), and endings are sentimental. Examples include Poe, Hawthorne, Irving, and Melville.
Transcendentalism (1840's): Here the focus became the power of unity with nature, as exemplified by Thoreau and Emerson.
Local color (1850's): This was the matter-of-fact writing telling the story of specific regions of America, such as the work of Twain and Harte.
Naturalism (1870's): In the word of naturalism, the concern is depicting things the way they are objectively, with the twist that chance rules life and that people are subject to hostile nature. The ends are hopeless the forms are experimental, extended sketches. Subject matter includes everything frankly. Individuals are treated individually and psychologically, and the purpose is to crusade. Representative works would be those of Crane and London.
Realism (1900's): trying usually to achieve a humanitarian or social purpose, a slightly looser structure and objective tone. Characterization is individualistic and psychological, and fate and environment plays a large role, though nature is just a setting. The endings are stanard. Representative works would be those of Faulkner, Steinbeck, Wharton.
Existentialism (1950's): Centering around the perception that life is essentially meaningless, and that the responsibility for outcomes is placed on the individual. This creates a large burden on the individual. This is seen in such American authors as Salinger, Aiken, Updike, Wolfe, Tyler.