Final answer:
Robert Browning's work is characterized by a discordant, colloquial style similar to jazz improvisations, abstract expressionist painting, and American street language, which departs from traditional formalism and mirrors intimate personal and social realities of its time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The discordant, colloquial style of Robert Browning's work can be likened to the spontaneous creativity seen in jazz improvisations, the raw expression found in abstract expressionist painting, and the genuine speech patterns of [American street](American street language). This approach contrasts with the formalistic techniques prevalent in earlier literature and aligns with the direct, unfiltered expression of personal and social realities. In the broader context of American literature, writers like Flannery O'Connor and poets like Sylvia Plath embraced a more confessional mode that highlighted personal experience as a reflection of broader societal conditions, such as the struggles against conformism and regional homogenization or the tension in the nuclear family dynamic. Concurrently, geopolitical tensions such as the Cold War and domestic issues like racial segregation contextualized the period's artistic and literary movements.
During this time, authors and artists challenged conventional norms and often faced consequences for their political beliefs, as seen in the case of William Carlos Williams. The Ashcan School's realist depiction of life's grittier sides and Local Color writing's focus on authentic American dialects and settings were pivotal in moving literature from Romanticism to a more Realistic style. The works of Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Ralph Ellison provide important records of life in segregated America and during the civil rights movement, contributing significantly to the literary landscape that navigates between personal narratives and national identity.