History A-Level
American literature
What American literature means in History A-Level, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definition of American literature
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain American literature in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: Pearson Edexcel
Works of the era, notably by the 'Lost Generation' such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, that often provided a sharp critique of the decade's materialism, superficiality, and underlying disillusionment.
Topics that use American literature
- Boom and crash, 1920–29 (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- Hire purchase
- Jazz Age
- Laissez-faire
- Limits to the boom
- Modernity versus traditionalism
- Nativism and political extremism
- The changing role of women
- The failure of moral legislation
Using American literature in the exam
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