American literature of the 20th century focuses on a variety of topics, from the violence of war and the struggle for civil rights to the social impact of technology and the moral significance of money. A concise, engaging guide to American contemporary literature, this volume provides information on 20th-century writers; the 1950s, 1960s, and beyond; contemporary American poetry; new voices; and the postmodern movement.

This volume focuses on a variety of topics, from the violence of war and the struggle for civil rights to the social impact of technology and the moral significance of money. A concise, engaging guide to American contemporary literature, this volume provides information on late-20th century writers; the 1950s, '60s, and beyond; contemporary American poetry; new voices; and the postmodern movement.
Topics include:
Post-World War II and Vietnam War literature
New Journalism
Beat literature and existentialism
The rise of ethnic and minority literature
The Civil Rights movement
Postmodernism
Confessional poetry and poetry of witness
and more.
Writers covered include:
Raymond Carver
Sandra Cisneros
Ralph Ellison
Robert Frost
Norman Mailer
N. Scott Momaday
Toni Morrison
Sylvia Plath
Thomas Pynchon
Adrienne Rich
J.D. Salinger
Kurt Vonnegut
Tom Wolfe
and many others.