Final answer:
Authors find themselves in cultural debates during revolutionary periods because these are times of significant change where new ideas emerge and challenge the status quo. Literature and arts from the period reflect the struggle to understand and define new realities and identities, and authors actively engage in shaping these debates.
Step-by-step explanation:
Authors during revolutionary periods often find themselves at the heart of cultural debates because revolutions are times of immense social, cultural, and political upheaval. The changing dynamics during such periods create a fertile ground for new ideas and challenge existing norms, prompting authors to explore and shape these debates through their works. Key themes during the American Revolution, for instance, included the issues of liberty, democracy, and national identity, which were reflected and challenged in the literature, visual arts, and social philosophy of the time.
Historians like Gordon Wood in The Radicalism of the American Revolution and Bernard Bailyn in Ideological Origins of the American Revolution point out how revolutionary ideas and the demands for change have a profound impact on societal structures and individual perceptions, leading to vigorous cultural debates.
Furthermore, the fact that revolutions can instigate a shift from traditional hierarchical societies to more democratic and egalitarian ones challenges writers and thinkers to reassess their understanding of the world. This intellectual struggle stimulates an outpouring of creative expression as a means to process and contribute to the changing worldviews of the era. Therefore, authors and artists serve as both witnesses to and participants in the shaping of a new cultural identity during revolutions.