Modern Era
1900-1950
Historical Background
The period of time considered to be the "Modern Era" of American literature saw a series of conflict and change in the country. The Great Depression, the Harlem Renaissance, two world wars and the beginning of a nearly three decade long race war all occurred in this half century.
Characteristics
New emphasis on individualism and modernism.
Authors
"A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness."-Robert Frost
Famous Works
Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath- John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Jungle- Upton Sinclair