| Theme | Period |
| Value feeling and intuition over reasoning | |
| Pursuit of the American Dream | |
| Allowed people to re-imagine the American past | |
| Novels | |
| Poetry | |
| Reinforces authority based on Bible | |
| Political pamphlets | |
| Travel writing | |
| Persuasive writing | |
| Myths | |
| | Theme | Period |
| Alienation | |
| Self-reliance & individualism | |
| Does not tell reader how to interpret meaning | |
| Aims to change a social issue | |
| Harmony with nature | |
| Sermons | |
| Slave narratives | |
| Patriotism | |
| True reality is spiritual | |
| Nationalism and survival | |
|