Before the Civil War, America was essentially an idealistic, confident, and self- reliant republic. After the war, the United States emerged as a nation whose purpose and place in the universe was shaken.

1. Very little important poetry and fiction came directly from the Civil War because most of Americas major writers didnt have first hand war experience. 2. Direct accounts of the war found their way into other types of literature. A. Emotional letters B. Diaries

3. The Civil War directly affected the style of writing in the United States. 4. Examples of Civil War literature: A. Slave narratives- Frederick Douglass Sojourner Truth B. Political speeches- Abraham Lincoln C. Poetry- Walt Whitman Emily Dickinson

The literary form most appropriate for handling such strong material as found in war- the realistic novel- was not developed until after the war. As a result, the real war did not find a place in American literature until the rise of realism.

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