The authors we have read do not always necessarily agree with each others points, and
in some instances, their intentions for writing may be to express their
disapproval of each other. One thing I find interesting that is common to many
of these writers is that they all try to do something new. Perhaps to assert
and establish themselves, many break away from traditional European writing.
Most recently, Whitman essentially creates his own style of poetry. Considering
his writings were his source of income, it may have seemed risky to try
something that may not be accepted. Whitman, along with Douglass and as far
back as Cooper speak to what American Literature will come to be, not just
through their writings, but how they write. I am curious though as to why
European authors may not have taken such risks, it surely could've helped their
names remain relevant through history.
This is a really interesting and cool thing to think about, and I think part of the reason for the lack of risks that European authors took was because they felt secure in their own market. They had centuries of developing and carving out their own place in the market. Emerging writers may have thought, "Well, this model works and makes money, so that's what I'm going to do."
ReplyDeleteAmerican authors didn't have that luxury. They had to compete with Europeans even in the domestic markets. Americans also had very different perspectives than the Europeans at the time. Maybe that's what encouraged them to take risks in the end.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with both points here made by Sam and Lauren. I also think this idea of risk is partly due to the idea of "Americanness" in general. Taking into consideration the events of history and how the American colonies broke away from Europe in the first place, I think that "Americanness" relies a lot on the idea of freedom and individuality. These authors all portray their own interpretations of freedom through their works, whether it be through a different style of poetry or through writing about what was considered taboo subjects, such as in the case of The Scarlet Letter. The ability to experiment with words and create different effects comes from this idea of having the freedom to explore the many different ways that the English language can present itself.
ReplyDeleteIt's very difficult to compare the degree of risk-taking and originality of authors across countries and continents. But it's true that before Whitman (and not for several decades after him), no poet wrote in free verse, or reinvented verse, so he is a clear example of a radical originality that we an link to "Americanness." The English novels I'm familiar with are not as daring in terms of form as those by Melville, Poe, and Hawthorne. What Lauren and Julie have to say about this makes a lot of sense--that the market, and an American sense of doing something new, must have been factors as well.
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