American Realism Test Flashcards
Define American Realism
An attempt to represent everyday people/situations accurately without embellishment
Where did the concepts for Realism come from?
France in the early 1800s
What movement comes before Realism?
Trans/Anti-Trans
Who are the two most influential writers of this movement?
Henry James and Mark Twain
Name 5 if the 6 characteristics of Realism
Characters are more important than the Plot Objectivity is very important Diction is natural and common Concentration is on the middle class Events are usually plausible
Civil War Hero
Ambrose Bierce
Born as Samuel Clemens
Mark Twain
Wrote The Portrait of a Lady
Henry James
Disappeared in Mexico
Ambrose Bierce
Wrote “The Jumping Frog”
Mark Twain
Wrote “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
Ambrose Bierce
Wrote “The Ambassador”
Henry James
Cited for bravery 15 times
Ambrose Bierce
Worked as a Steam Boat Captain
Mark Twain
Who wrote Life on the Mississippi?
Mark Twain
Summarize the plot of Life on the Mississippi in 3 sentences
The story talks about the different aspects of the river and its life in the 19th century. The river is to be seen as a living and breathing being of the world. The river is the most important person in the story.
In LOM, Twain is an apprentice aboard _______.
Steamboat
Who is the captain of the boat?
Captain Bixby
What is the extended metaphor Twain uses to describe learning to drive a steamboat?
He compares learning the layout of the river to reading a book
What does Bierce use to establish the setting?
Intense use of details
Where does Bierce get his knowledge about the war?
His own experiences
Describe the three parts of the Owl Creek
A feigned hero
A fantasy
A violent death
What are some of the clues about what is truly happening to Farquhar?
Isolated tree-lined road,
neck pains, swollen tongue, congested eyes
What is unique about the 3rd section?
It contains the most words but covers the shortest amount of time
Foreshadowing
The author’s use of clues to hint at what might happen next in the story
Flashback
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Flashback
interruptions that writers do to insert past events, in order to provide background or context to the current events of a narrative.
3rd Person Limited Point of View
the narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character.
Objective Point of View
the writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story’s action and dialogue.
Omniscient Point of View
narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story
