Evolution of American Narrative in the Second Half of the Twentieth Century

American fiction in the second half of the twentieth century: main features, authors and themes.

The Emergence of the Beat Generation

During the second half of the twentieth century, a new type of narrative was established in the United States: it is the literature of “Beat Generation”.

The novel becomes the most successful editorial product because it is able to meet the needs of the audience even for those who consider reading a pure entertainment as well. In addition, the spread of a mass culture has favored the emergence of works that are able to express the complexity of human relations.

American Narrative of the 1950s and 1960s

During the 1950s, the beat generation expressed youth discomfort and uncomfortableness (in particular giving voice to marginalized characters and type of people, such as vagabonds, doped or homosexuals).

Instead, during the 1960s, culture and literature were dominated by youth controversy over capitalist society and bourgeois values.

American narrative was inspired by Marcuse's thinking and conception, which warned of the risks of technology and consumerism.

Among the main authors of this period there are: Jerome David Salinger, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs.

New Trends from the 1980s

Since the 1980s, new trends have emerged, including Raymond Clevie Carver's minimalism. Alongside the traditional romance production, represented by authors such as Bellow, Roth, postmodern authors such as De Lillo and Auster and narrative sub-genres such as science fiction, horror, thriller and the western developed.