1916: A Portrait of the Artist.... to You Know Me Al....

Chronology of World, British and American Literature

James Joyce. Irish. 1916. Novel. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Growing self-awareness as artist leads to rejection of world in which he was brought up. Severs family ties, nationalism and Catholic religion. Not straight narrative. Revolves around experiences crucial to Stephen’s development as artist.

Booth Tarkington American. 1916. Novel. Seventeen. Adolescent in the throes of his first love affair. Billy, Lola and Flopit.

Mariano Azuela. Mexican. 1916. Novel. The Underdogs (Los de abajo). Mexican Revolution. Blind, futile struggle by nameless masses who took up arms for a cause they did not understand. Swept along by turbulence; continued fighting because they did not know how to stop.

Ring Lardner. American. 1916. Stories. You Know Me Al: A Busher’s Letters. Letters from half-literate baseball rookie. Captures vernacular speech, tone, outlook. Combination of humor and misanthropy.