Literary Movements

Literature is a portal to past time periods. It reveals much more than a history book can because it reveals the emotion of the time. Often literary patterns reflect societal norms or frustration. In class we are learning about literary movements in history and their key elements. We see how times of war and suffering reflected different literary patterns then times of prosperity. This is because literature allows for people to express themselves freely regardless of the time period. For this reason we also see literary movements that stem from other literary movements in the form of rebellion because of people expressing their literary freedom.
We have learned so much from literary history. Thinkers of the past have greatly affected society today. For instance the Enlightenment was a literary movement that took place in the 1600's, yet the ideas of philosophers such as John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, etc. have remained important elements in our society as they were vital to the establishment of the United States of America. Enlightenment principles are highly reflective in important American works such as the Deceleration of Independence and the US Constitution. These documents, despite the fact that they were written in a completely different time period, continue to have a great effect on the present. This shows the eternal importance and influence of literary thoughts and movements  

~ Vanessa S. ~