CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN LITERATURE : HOW IT BEGINS

This item is published by Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya

Kusumajanti, Wahju (2012) CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN LITERATURE : HOW IT BEGINS. In: Conference Proceedings: Annual International Conference on Islamic Studies (AICIS) XII, 5 – 8 November 2012, Surabaya – Indonesia.

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Abstract

Contemporary American Literature or the modern American literature starts generally after World War II. As one of the most diverse nations in the world, the United States has different events in regards of the time and place of the Contemporary Period of American Literature. This literary period has a wide range of issues and styles so that there are no sufficient perspectives to make lasting conclusions. That is why it is not easy to categorize American literature since the end of World War II. However, it is said that contemporary American literature has characteristics that clearly identify or reflect the multiculturalism of contemporary American society. Then, it is very important to not let aside the several events in order to have a general background of this period. To begin with, the Civil Rights Movement was a political movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the Southern of United States (1955-1965). There were many efforts to fight against racial oppression and abolish the institution of slavery. Secondly, the Vietnam War occurred during the Cold War and lasted from 1959 to 1975. The purpose was to impose communist system over the entire nation. It took place in Vietnam, Southeast Asia and it has been said it is the longest military battle in the history of the United States. Thirdly, all over these years, United States has been the attraction of many immigrants who want to succeed in that land, and to achieve their “American dream”. According to BBC NEWS, immigration has been always present in US history; and the immigration flow to this country has first accelerated after the French Revolution and during the 19th century. Hence, American ports are full with German, Chinese, Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants. For a half century, immigrants from diverse cultures have sought freedom and opportunity in what is now the United States of America. Challenges are inevitable as immigrants adjust to life in a new country, with a new language, and as their new neighbors become acquainted with them. The writers among them recorded their experiences in letters, journals, poems, and books, from early colonial days to the present. Marie Arana stated in her essay ‘Today, one in four among us has a strong tie to a foreign past. More than one in five was born elsewhere or has an immigrant parent. We are a nation of many voices, myriad histories — a hotbed of artistic possibility. It is little wonder that from this vibrant and variegated culture, a new American literature has sprung’ (eJournalUSA,4). Among those immigrants some of them came from Middle East countries which called Arabs.