Nathaniel Hawthorne was a major figure. His 'The Scarlet Letter' is a classic of the era. Edith Wharton was another important author. She wrote about the upper - class society in America, often exploring themes like social propriety and the limitations placed on women in that society.
There was also Stephen Crane. His 'The Red Badge of Courage' was a significant novel, especially for its portrayal of war. Jack London was also emerging towards the end of the 19th century, and his works later became very popular for their exploration of nature and survival.
Mark Twain was a very prominent one. His works like 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' are well - known. Also, Henry James, who was famous for his novels that explored the upper - class society and the clash of American and European cultures.
Charlotte Bronte was a significant figure. Her 'Jane Eyre' was a powerful novel that had a strong female protagonist. Emily Bronte, Charlotte's sister, was also well - known for 'Wuthering Heights', a novel full of passion and complex characters. Thomas Hardy was another important author. His works often had a sense of melancholy and explored the relationship between people and the harsh rural landscapes.
Benjamin Franklin was one of the prominent figures. Although he is more known for his non - fictional works, his 'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin' had elements that influenced American novel - writing. Another was Charles Brockden Brown. His works were some of the earliest examples of American Gothic novels. He explored themes like the human psyche and the dark side of human nature in the context of the young American nation.
Anne Bradstreet was a well - known author. Her works often dealt with family life and her personal experiences as a woman in the colonies. Another was Cotton Mather. He wrote on religious and historical topics, and his works had a great influence on the Puritan community.
F. Scott Fitzgerald was a very prominent author. His works, like 'The Great Gatsby', are still widely read today. He captured the essence of the Jazz Age with its glamour and underlying emptiness.
Edgar Allan Poe was a very prominent one. His works, such as 'The Fall of the House of Usher', are full of Gothic elements like decay, madness, and the supernatural.
Mark Twain is a very prominent one. His works like 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' and 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' are well - known. Another is Nathaniel Hawthorne, known for 'The Scarlet Letter'. And of course, Herman Melville with 'Moby - Dick' is also a significant author of that era.
Jules Verne was a very prominent one. His works were highly imaginative and full of technological speculations. Another was H.G. Wells. His books like 'The War of the Worlds' and 'The Time Machine' were extremely influential. Mary Shelley, although her work 'Frankenstein' was published earlier in the 19th century, also had a big impact on the development of science fiction as it dealt with the idea of creating life through science, which was a major theme in later science fiction works.
Henry Fielding was a very prominent one. He wrote 'Tom Jones' which is considered a classic of the 18th - century novel. Another was Samuel Richardson, known for his epistolary novels like 'Clarissa' and 'Pamela'. Daniel Defoe was also important, with 'Robinson Crusoe' being his well - known work.
Thomas Hardy was a prominent author. His novels, such as 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles', were known for their exploration of rural life and the struggles of the working class.
Horace Walpole was a prominent author of 18th - century mystery novels. He wrote 'The Castle of Otranto'. Ann Radcliffe was also important, known for 'The Mysteries of Udolpho'.