Chicago literary renaissance

Chicago literary renaissance

Flourishing of literary activity in Chicago c. 1912–25. Its leading writers—Theodore Dreiser, Sherwood Anderson, Edgar Lee Masters, and Carl Sandburg—realistically depicted the contemporary urban environment, condemning the loss of traditional rural values in the increasingly industrialized and materialistic American society. Associated with the period were the Little Theatre, an outlet for young playwrights; the Little Room, a literary group; and magazines such as The Dial, Poetry, and The Little Review. The renaissance also encompassed a revitalization of newspaper journalism as a literary medium.