Literature Changes During the Civil War Essay

When the agricultural was console quite young and change was ever-imminent, our coarse America wasnt ever so so colossal. This budding country lacked its witness culture, and every single run low produced by its inhabitants was rooted to an earlier version from its m other Britain. Much of our estate was devoid of literary culture and tuition. We were often looked down upon by other countries flourishing with their own trademark foods, goods, and customs. Very few prominent writers much(prenominal) as Ralph Waldo Emerson were able to create a base example of what an American literary productions might actually look like.Prior to the well-bred state of war, in that location were al nearly no published American authors, as the United States was much inclined toward English texts, which were little expensive. Reading and writing had just begun to sink in down to the middle class, making literary works much more democratic among the super C earthly concern, as rates of literacy rose tremendously. The multitude of uses for literature erstwhile the Civil War began caused an rase larger development. During a cadence of great change and conflict, America began a period of immense literary thirst. in front the Civil War started, literature had lone(prenominal) recently become a more regular piece of daily life. At first entirely the wealthiest could be expected to know how to read and write. However, as the nation approached the time of the Civil War, the lower classes were also expanding their education by becoming literate. The common man started to take more of an beguile and a stand in the goings on of the country- for the most part, learning how to read allowed them to custody up with the happenings from nearly the nation. publications was also serving a more entertaining purpose. manufacturingalisation grew in popularity, only when infamy too. American statesmen and leaders were fearful of fiction. They accurately understood its sub versive power fiction empowered individuals it catered to peoples passions, fancies, and whims, which threatened republican ideas of order and rationality, (Stauffer 237). As this quote explains, many politicians believed that fiction would lead to chaos and revolution. Literature has al guidances had the power to plant a seed in our minds, and this was no different during the time of the Civil War.Still, these opinions did non keep novels from finding a place in most households. mostly middle- and upper-class women were the audience for this type of adaptation material. Fiction, spreading rapidly, became one of the most popular types of literature in this era. Literature before the Civil War was mainly centered on functionality. Literacy had just begun to grow, so the people who well-read to read had to have a reason for it. The most common reading material of the time included religious reading, instructive reading, discussionpapers and magazines, and reading for break loose (Salisbury).The best method of escaping for bored housewives or even off the common man was a novel. As previously stated, these fictional stories had just begun to boom in popularity. Religious reading mostly included bible study, common for the fairish Christian household. Newspapers and magazines were crucial for spreading news, and when the nation found an efficient way to broadcast information, people snatched them up. During a time when you couldnt turn on your flat screen television or pull out your iPad for news updates, newspapers were essential to society.Finally, guides were another usual form of reading material. Stay-at-home wives stack away cookbooks and mothering manuals by the shelf-full. All these types of reading provided just about function to those who read them, which displays how the country used literature in a very confined manner. The Civil War had a big impact on literature, but literature also had a large impact on the Civil War. For example, the rel ocation against slavery was intensified by passionate works of literature such as Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.These novels helped to spark an interest in the subject for many more people, particularly those of a higher(prenominal) class, who then began to encourage the movement. Literature needed to change in legion(predicate) ways. When the war began, letters would be used to keep families in exigency with soldiers. News would become more biased and exaggerated depending on its informant ( northernmost vs. South). Many children created care packages and wrote letters to soldiers, which gave the men at war some hope and knowledge of the immaterial world. In 1864, Harpers every week published a story about a young girl named Lula who wished to write a letter to a soldier.That letter wound up in the hands of Daniel P. Fleming- a man who had no family to write to. Lulas letter came when he felt forsakendesperateand saved him (Diffley). Their correspondence created a magnificent bond that carried Fleming throughout the war, and impacted two he and Lula for the conclusion of their lives. Literature served a great purpose in the Civil War, and its process did not stop there. When literature grew in popularity, it had a plethora of effects. It both helped and hurt our country. On one hand, it led to the letters that kept the pot liquor of our soldiers high.On the other, it produced media that exaggerated truths and spread lies. Since the North and South had greatly variable opinions at the time, their news sources also greatly varied. Each would produce its own version of the truth, and neither would be completely honest. This sensationalism only proceed to spread, which became its worst in the 20th century. Not all of the effects of literatures changes were completely bad, though. Novels allowed people to escape the awful experiences they were going through, if only for a little while.Writers became more successful and American authors had more of a chance as American writing took over the aforementioned British literature. Essays and stories meant to rally the nation during war kept each side unified, even as the country itself split in half. Literature was, perhaps, a great factor in keeping the United States from permanently disbanding. Literature impacts a lot in our lives today it is a tell-tale sign of the amount of education one receives, it determines a lot of our viewpoints on many issues, and it can even affect the choices you make.This was trustworthy during the Civil War era as well, but this took off mostly at the time of the Civil War itself. earlier the war, literature had only just begun to spread. It was quite obviously linked to favorable class as well, as the upper classes were cognize to have a much higher percentage of literacy than the lower classes. Also, British works became less popular, while American authors prospered. With novels on the rise with the common woman, literature assert itse lf as an everyday piece of life.This was reinforced by the use of newspapers, magazines, and books that provided instruction and recipes. Literature took off right before the start of the Civil War, in part causing it. Certain literary works had a steadfast impact on society, creating controversy and drawing the boundary between the North and the South. Literature also played a huge role in the lives of many soldiers during the war itself. It not only kept the soldiers motivated by giving them something to look forward too, but it also connected them to the outside world and reminded them of all the people they were fighting for.Literature helped to both keep this country together and tear it apart. While the printed media was not always as honest as it shouldve been, and the letters did not always keep the soldiers motivated, it is inconceivable to argue that literature went through an incredible change during the Civil War. Literature will always be a part of our lives, and thi s rang especially true during this time of struggle, which unlocked an appetite for literature that our country had never known before.