AMERICAN LITERATURE

The written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies came to be known as American literature. During its early history, America was a series of British colonies on the eastern   coast of the present day United States. Therefore its literary tradition holds a strong umbilical chord to the broader tradition of English literature. Later American literature reshaped its literature as purely American that holds with it the beliefs and traditions of their nation. As a result the pioneering ideals of self-reliance and independence started to appear constantly in American writings. American authors have great respect for the value and importance of the individual. They tend to reject authority and to emphasize democracy and equality of people. One of the most fascinating characterstics of American literature is the vast difference in the literature written in various regions of the country. They include the literature from the North, South, West , Midwest etc. This trait observed in American literature is suggestive of the fact that the regional cultures played a dominant role in shaping the literature of America.