American literature

American literature is the literature written or produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see Poetry of the United States and Theater in the United States. During its early history, America was a series of British colonies on the eastern coast of the present-day United States. Therefore, its literary tradition begins as linked to the broader tradition of English literature. However, unique American characteristics and the breadth of its production usually now cause it to be considered a separate path and tradition.

The New England colonies were the center of early American literature. The revolutionary period contained political writings by Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine. In the post-war period, Thomas Jefferson's United States Declaration of Independence solidified his status as a key American writer. It was in the late 18th and early 19th centuries that the nation's first novels were published. With the War of 1812 and an increasing desire to produce uniquely American literature and culture, a number of key new literary figures emerged, perhaps most prominently Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe. In 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) started a movement known as Transcendentalism. Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) wrote Walden, which urges resistance to the dictates of organized society. The political conflict surrounding abolitionism inspired the writings of William Lloyd Garrison and Harriet Beecher Stowe in her world-famous Uncle Tom's Cabin. These efforts were supported by the continuation of the slave narrative autobiography, of which the best known example from this period was Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.

American Authors

American Authors is an American indie rock band based in New York City and who are signed to Island Records. They are best known for their hit singles "Believer" and "Best Day of My Life" from their debut album Oh, What a Life, as well as their Top 20 hit, "Go Big or Go Home" from an upcoming album.

History

2007–11: Early years

The members of American Authors met each other while attending Berklee College of Music in 2006. The quartet spent their first years in Boston recording and performing music under the name the Blue Pages and recorded Surrounded by Wolves, Bear Fight, Night Hawke, Anthropology and Rich With Love. In May 2010 the band opened up for Cash Cash on the Robots in High-Tops tour. In 2010, the band relocated to Brooklyn. On December 1, 2010, the Blue Pages independently released their single "Run Back Home" on iTunes.

2012–present: Name change, Mercury Records and American Authors

In 2012, the group changed their name to American Authors. In January 2013, the band was signed to Mercury Records. Their debut single, "Believer," garnered attention through alternative rock radio. Their second single, "Best Day of My Life", was featured in, among other things, a Lowe's television advertisement in the United States, a Hyundai television advertisement in the United Kingdom, an advertisement in South Africa for Castle Lager, a Telecom New Zealand advertisement, a trailer for the film Delivery Man, PES 2015 video game, the opening sequence for ESPN's 2013 World Series of Poker coverage, a trailer for the film Earth to Echo, a trailer for the film How to Train Your Dragon 2, the film Humpback Whales, and a trailer for the film St. Vincent. The song is also featured in the video game "Guitar Hero Live". The song was also used in an advert for Centerparcs in the UK. The song won the newly established Sync Music Award at the SESAC Pop Awards 2015. Their song "Go Big or Go Home" was featured in NBA videos showing highlights from the 2015 playoffs.

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility for what was created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work and can also be described as a writer.

Author of a written or legally copied work

Legal significance

In copyright law, there is a necessity for little flexibility as to what constitutes authorship. The United States Copyright Office defines copyright as "a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to authors of "original works of authorship". Holding the title of "author" over any "literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, [or] certain other intellectual works" give rights to this person, the owner of the copyright, exclusive right to do or authorize any production or distribution of their work. Any person or entity wishing to use intellectual property held under copyright must receive permission from the copyright holder to use this work, and often will be asked to pay for the use of copyrighted material. After a fixed amount of time, the copyright expires on intellectual work and it enters the public domain, where it can be used without limit. Copyright law has been amended time and time again since the inception of the law to extend the length of this fixed period where the work is exclusively controlled by the copyright holder. However, copyright is merely the legal reassurance that one owns his/her work. Technically, someone owns their work from the time it's created. An interesting aspect of authorship emerges with copyright in that it can be passed down to another upon one's death. The person who inherits the copyright is not the author, but enjoys the same legal benefits.

American

American(s) may refer to:

Organizations

Sports teams

What a Life

What a Life may refer to:

Books

Film and entertainment

Music

Albums

Songs

See also