250 years of American LiteratureLike this list

26 items

• Common Sense

  Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809

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  1770s - This revolutionary bestseller condemned British rule of America and helped foment the American Revolution as a widely accessible argument for independence.

• The Federalist Papers

  Madison, James, 1751-1836

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  1780s - A series of 85 essays from Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay (all written under the pseudonym “publius,”) implores American voters to ratify the constitution when many were still skeptical of an overarching federal government.

• The Coquette

  Foster, Hannah

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  1790s - Originally published anonymously, this scandalizing epistolary novel was a bestseller in the new United States. The story dramatizes the real life, romances and tragic death of the Connecticut socialite Elizabeth Whitman.

• Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist

  Charles Brockden Brown

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  1800s - This unfinished book was serialized in Brown’s “Literary Magazine.” The plot follows a man named Carwin with an uncanny ventriloquist ability, which he uses to scheme his family and peers.

• The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.

  Irving, Washington, 1783-1859

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  1810s - This collection of short stories were some of the first American literary worlds to gain an international audience. The collection includes classics like “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

• 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

  Moore, Clement Clarke, 1779-1863

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  1820s - Perhaps the most famous lines in the American canon of poetry are those which begin “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” While the authorship is contested, the popularity of the christmas poem has endured two centuries later. HONORABLE MENTIONS: “An…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Original Water-color Paintings by John James Audubon for The Birds of America

  Reproduced in Color for the First Time From the Collection at the New-York Historical Society

  Audubon, John James, 1785-1851

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  1830s - Collected over a decade, Audubon and John Kirk Townsend created 435 hand-colored engravings to detail the avian life of the expanding United States. These iconic prints are now celebrated for their contributions to American art and science.

• The Complete Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe

  Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849

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  1840’s - Poet, author, and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe was one of America’s first literary superstars, read widely and supported almost entirely by earnings from writing. Classics like “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” remain popular…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Uncle Tom's Cabin

  Beecher Stowe, Harriet

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  1850’s - This equally controversial and politically agitating novel is often cited as a radicalizing force in the American abolitionist movement. While Stowe was ultimately against slavery, the stereotypes used in this novel would dehumanize and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Little Women

  Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888

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  1860s - Alcott’s beloved novel follows the March sisters come of age in 1860s Massachusetts. The story has often been celebrated and adapted because of its unique focus on the lives of young, American girls.

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

  Twain, Mark, 1835-1910

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  1870s - Missouri author Mark Twain follows the adventures of a young boy named Tom Sawyer in a fictionalized version of Hannibal. As Tom continues through the book with his friend Huckleberry Finn, their hijinks create a comedic reflection on…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ben-Hur

  a Tale of the Christ

  Wallace, Lew, 1827-1905

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  1880s - Ben-Hur rivaled the popularity of the Bible during its initial publication. The story of a Jewish prince, intertwined with that of Jesus of Nazareth, lured in readers with action packed chariot races and relatable social commentary in the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Awakening and Selected Stories of Kate Chopin

  Chopin, Kate, 1850-1904

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  1890s - Chopin’s story of the New Orleanian Edna Pontellier has been widely regarded as a landmark in American feminist literature. In a naturalist style, she illustrates a mother’s chafing under the society’s strict expectations for gender…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Jungle

  Sinclair, Upton, 1878-1968

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  1900s - A fictionalized account of work in Chicago’s meat industry, “The Jungle” shone light onto the gritty and dangerous reality of immigrant labor in America’s cities. The outcry following the novel’s publication led to new sanitation and workers…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The American Language

  An Inquiry Into the Development of English in the United States

  Mencken, H. L. (Henry Louis), 1880-1956

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  1910s - Menken’s investigation into common American parlance was a novel addition to English linguistics. Eschewing more “proper” grammars from England, Menken’s research focused on the spoken word of working class Americans as it was said.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Great Gatsby

  Fitzgerald, F. Scott (Francis Scott), 1896-1940

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  1920s - Read by countless high school students, Fitzgerald’s questions of belonging, wealth, and yearning have stayed current outside of the roaring twenties glitter and decadence. HONORABLE MENTIONS: “The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Grapes of Wrath

  Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968

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  1930s - This Pulitzer Prize winning novel follows a family of “Okies” as they flee the dust bowl to California. Set against the economic and environmental devastation of the 1930s, Steinbeck's sensorial metaphors engross writers in the Joad family’s…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• All the King's Men

  Warren, Robert Penn, 1905-1989

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  1940s - Inspired by the real-life politician Huey P. Long, this tale of political intrigue and the consuming gravity of dictatorial power illustrates the risk of charisma and the allure of control. HONORABLE MENTIONS: “Hiroshima” by John Hersey,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Catcher in the Rye

  Salinger, J. D. (Jerome David), 1919-2010

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  1950s - A classic read for angsty teenagers, Holden Caulfield's struggles with depression and the “phoniness” of society resonates for those coming of age. HONORABLE MENTIONS: “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison, “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• To Kill a Mockingbird

  Lee, Harper,

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  1960s - The fight for justice in the Jim Crow South envelopes the family of Atticus Finch, as observed by his daughter, Scout. As Atticus fights to exonerate Tom Robinson, a Black man who has been accused of a serious crime. HONORABLE MENTIONS:…Read moreRead more of this annotation