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American Literary Cultures > Exam 3 > Flashcards

Exam 3 Flashcards

1
Q

what percent of america was middle class in post war america

A

60 percent of america was middle class; 2x as many people as before

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2
Q

who wrote death of a salesman

A

arthur miller

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3
Q

what was equated with success in post war america

A

consumerism was equated with success

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4
Q

what is planned obsolescence

A

making products that are design to wear out after a certain amount of time so that you must buy a new version of the productq

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5
Q

what type of work is death of a salesman

A

modernism- took an old form and made it new- the past and present happen at the same time on stage

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6
Q

death of salesman is considered a great american what

A

great american tragedy

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7
Q

what is willy selling in death of a salesman

A

the future, hope for a better future, the idea the american dream can be achieved from buying stuff

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8
Q

why is Willy Loman’s life of contradiction

A

he can’t escape the life of a consumer
if biff doesn’t end up better it means his life is a lie and he lived a lie
willy is having an existential crisis

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9
Q

what do buff and willy have in contact

A

both have massive internal conflict that what’s being taught doesn’t match what is happening

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10
Q

what is miller attacking in death of a salesman

A

perceived as the most prosperous decade, criticizing materialism; we should focus on relationships not the materials we have
- what is on the surface is not the whole of the problem

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11
Q

who is the tragic hero in death of a salesman and what does he come to understand

A

the tragic hero has come to understand some kind of self knowledge
biff is the tragic hero; he realized no matter what the things that made him happy

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12
Q

what is postmodernism

A
  • continuation of and reaction to modernism - mass consumption has led to mass conformity
  • concern over the apparent loss or distortion of personal identity
  • old truths has crumbled, leaving truth relative to individual perspective
  • pluralism
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13
Q

what is pluralism

A

a condition or system on which two or more groups co exist

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14
Q

what is minimalism

A
  • resurgence of literary realism, but its subject is typically mundane
  • post modernist uses ideas and emotions and lets you decide for yourself
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15
Q

existentialism and the absurd

A
  • existentialism- a philosophical movement that stresses the individual unique position as self-determining agent, free-will, responsible for making meaningful, authentic choices in a universe seen as purposeless or irrational
  • absurdist fiction- cheerful minimalism
  • aesthethics- concerned with nature and appreciation especially in art
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16
Q

who wrote A and P

A

John Updike

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17
Q

what type of story was AP

A
  • coming of age story
  • power structures and masculinity
18
Q

describe 1960s america

A

the post modern supermarket and strong anticonsumerism thread at work

19
Q

how did mid century supermarkets change the dynamic of grocery stores

A
  • historically you had to engage with someone to get something from the store
  • in 1960s the supermarkets focused on products, not human-to-human contact
  • packaging and product placement became art
20
Q

in AP what are the girls disrupting

A

making people stop focusing on the material and focus on them, the people, instead
they are disrupting an established system

21
Q

what socioeconomic response was at work in AP

A
22
Q

what has sammy really learned at the end of AP

A

he is playing a part in a system that reduces humans to products and money
he realizes the kind of man he wants to becomew

23
Q

who wrote where are you going, where have you been

A

joyce carol oates

24
Q

what are the 4 inspirations of where are you going where have you been

A

the old testament, greek mythology, roman art, and a serial killer

25
Q

how did the old testament play a role in oates work

A

the numbers on the car
by counting backwards in the old testament, 33 books, you will arrive at the books of Judges. Go to chap. 19 verse 17 - you get a verse that mentions the title of the story.
- connie is too fixated on the present- makes her vulnerable to arnold friend and death

26
Q

how did greek mythology inspire oats story

A

it is a modern retelling of the Persephone myth
- connie doesn’t resist because arnold keeps her fixated on the present

27
Q

what art tradition inspired oats story

A

death and the maiden
- renaissance are tradition that explores sexuality and death
- death comes and is personified, we see things the maiden doesn’t see

28
Q

what serial killer inspired oates story

A

charles schmid, the pied piper of tucson

29
Q

how is oate’s story a work of postmodernism

A
  • emphasizes individuality and individual preferences
  • connie is a girl in transition, she must begin to think about the future and if she can’t she goes with arnold friend
  • connie is coming to the realization of who she will become - her initiation into this transition
  • connie lured away from the things important to her toward her death
30
Q

who wrote the things they carried

A

tim o’brien

31
Q

what are the themes in the things they carried

A
  • exploring the concept of carrying burdens
  • trauma- the traumitizing consequences of death and murder
  • truth- the concept of truth
  • suggests that the story is an emotional truth
32
Q

what was the the biggest burden of all

A

the emotional burden

33
Q

what diaspora is malamud known for

A

diaspora- dispersion of people from their homeland
- jewish diaspora
- magic as an acknowledgment of an abiding religious presence

34
Q

where is salsmans office according to the story, how does that make it magical realism

A

his office is “in the air”, “in his socks”
in the jewish tradition people wear socks when they are in mourning- salsman is mourning the brokenness of humanity that is a byproduct of free will.

35
Q

what is malamuds preferred method for highlighting weaknesses

A

invoking the spiritual was his preferred strategy for highlighting man’s weakness

36
Q

what is magical realism

A

uses magical elements to make a point about reality

37
Q

aesthetics

A

a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art.

38
Q

verisimilitude

A

the appearance of being true or real

39
Q

existentialism

A

a philosophical movement that focuses on the individual and their existence

40
Q

metafiction

A

Metafiction is a form of fiction that emphasizes its own narrative structure in a way that inherently reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work
story telling about story telling

41
Q

colonization

A

the act of exerting control over a group of people

42
Q

who wrote the magic barrel

A

malamud

American Literary Cultures (3 decks)

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