Washington Irving is often regarded as the father of American literature due to his significant contributions to the genre, including his short stories, essays, and historical works.

Nathaniel Hawthorne is the author of the classic novel "The Scarlet Letter", which explores themes of sin, guilt, and redemption in Puritan New England.

Herman Melville is the author of "Moby-Dick", a masterpiece of American literature that tells the tale of Captain Ahab's obsessive quest for the white whale, Moby-Dick.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is a prominent figure in the Transcendentalist movement, a philosophical and literary movement that emphasized individualism, intuition, and the inherent goodness of nature.

Mark Twain is the author of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", a classic American novel that explores themes of racism, morality, and the complexities of human nature.

Louisa May Alcott is the author of "Little Women", a beloved novel that follows the lives of the four March sisters during the American Civil War.

Harriet Beecher Stowe is the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin", a powerful anti-slavery novel that had a significant impact on the abolitionist movement in the United States.

Ezra Pound is a leading figure in the Imagist poetry movement, which emphasized the use of precise imagery and clear, concise language.

T.S. Eliot is the author of "The Waste Land", a modernist poem that explores themes of fragmentation, alienation, and the search for meaning in a post-war world.

Langston Hughes is a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural and artistic movement that celebrated African American culture and identity.

Zora Neale Hurston is the author of "Their Eyes Were Watching God", a novel that explores themes of love, identity, and self-discovery in the African American community.

Richard Wright is the author of "Native Son", a novel that explores the experiences of an African American man living in a racially segregated society.

James Baldwin is the author of "Go Tell It on the Mountain", a novel that explores themes of religion, family, and the search for identity in the African American community.

Jack Kerouac is a leading figure in the Beat Generation, a countercultural movement that emerged in the 1950s and explored themes of nonconformity, spontaneity, and spiritual exploration.

Jack Kerouac is the author of "On the Road", a novel that chronicles the adventures of a group of young people as they travel across America in search of meaning and experience.