3) Mid 19th Century Fiction Flashcards
General characteristics of the Mid 19th Century Fiction
shift towards realism, blending with elements of regionalism, social critique, still elements of romanticism, themes of nature, supernatural, allegory and symbolism to convey deeper meanings
Major collections of short stories written by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Twice-Told Tales, Mosses from an Old Manse
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novels
The Scarlet Letter, The Blithdale Romance, The House of Seven Gables, The Marble Faun
Short stories written by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Young Goodman Brown, Rober Malvin’s Burial, The Birthmark, Rapaccin’s Daughter, The Minister’s Black Veil, Wakefield
Which novel is considered the first genuine great American novel?
The Scarlet Letter
Setting of Scarlet Letter
early Puritan colony, the town of Boston, 17th century, MA
What is the genre of The Scarlet Letter?
historical romance
Which are the themes of The Scarlet Letter?
sin, punishment, guilt, atonement, revenge, truth, history
In the Scarlet Letter, the narrator is __________
nameless
What opens The Scarlet Letter?
a long preamble about how the book came to be written
What are the names of the main characters in The Scarlet Letter?
Hester Prynne, her daughter Pearl, her husband Roger Chillingworth, and the father of Pearl Arthur Dimmesdale
How does the Scarlet Letter ends?
Hester and Pearl leave the colony and start a new life elsewhere, Hester continues to wear the scarlet letter as a symbol of her strength and defiance against societal judgement
What happens to Dimmesdale and Chillingworth?
they both die
What is the name of the only novel written by Edgar Allan Poe?
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (a sea novel)
Richard Henry Dana
Two Years Before the Mast
What are the themes and motives of Sea Novels?
the voyage, quest, self-discovery, boudlessness of the sea, remoteness, danger, adventure, trade, business, masculinity, heroism, nautical language
Name two authobiographical novels of adventure written by Herman Melville
Typee, Omoo
Who influenced Herman Melville?
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Which are the two short stories written by Herman Melville?
The Piazza Tales, Bartleby, the Scriviner
What is the name of the most famous novel written by Herman Melville?
Moby-Dick, or, The Whale
Who narrates Moby-Dick?
Ishmael (a crew member)
What is the name of the ship in Moby-Dick?
the Pequod
Who is Capitan Ahab?
capitan of the Pequod, obsessed with revenge on the white whale Moby Dick, which bit off his leg
What is the crew on the Pequod like?
multi-ethnical, no women
Name some of the crew members from the Pequod
Queequeg (a Polynesian harpooner), Starbuck
How does Moby-Dick ends?
The Pequod is destroyed, and most of the crew dies, the only one who survives is Ishmael
Themes of Moby-Dick
obsession, fate, the conflict between man and nature, the limits of knowledge
Who narrates Bartleby the Scriviner?
a lawyer who runs a small law office on Wall Street in NYC
What are the main characters in Bartleby, the Scriviner?
The Lawyer, Bartleby, Turkey, Nippers, Ginger Nut
How does Bartleby, the Scriviner end?
Bartleby ends up in jail, continues his passive resistance, refuses to eat and ultimately dies of starvation
What does Bartleby, the Scriviner, criticise? Themes?
dehumanizing effects of capitalism, materialism, themes of existentialism, individualism, limits of empathy and understanding
