Thoughts on American Literature

I've always thought of American Literature as boring but after reading several stories, books and poems in American Literature class, I've changed my mind. Unlike American History, which is too short to be as interesting and complex as European and Chinese history, American authors have written some prety interesting stuff. My favorite American authors are Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Steinbeck and Sylvia Plath. They've changed how I think about American Literature quite a bit. The way that Hawthorne crafts his short stories is absolutely impressive and my favorite is Dr. Heidigger's Experiment. Steinbeck's descriptions are vivid and stunning, I thought they were overly wordy and hard to understand when I was younger, but I find it really beautiful now. I've read a short story by Sylvia Plath before, and it left me feeling unimpressed. However, when I read her poems "The Mirror" and "Mushrooms" this year, I was shocked by how well written they were. Those two poems are masterfully written and some of the best poems that I have ever read.