Literature Final Flashcards
What had to occur before a distinctly American literature could exist ?
Early writers had to cast off their child like dependence on English literature
Where was the first permanent settlement in the new world
James town Virginia
What sustained the pilgrims through the hardships of their first years in New England
Their will to succeed and their confidence in God’s providential care
What was the cause of Puritanism’s decline
With material prosperity had come Worldly interests and goals.
Secular values were replacing religious ones.
Many second generation colonists were not numbers of the halfway covenant.
Because colonial literature naturally reflected the interest and concerns of its writers, it is not surprising that the earliest authors wrote mostly about
The threatening features of their environment
Once the colonists had established permanent settlements, the subject matter of literature predominantly concerned
Religions
Underlying the literary romanticism of the period of national optimism was
A national mood of optimism.
A spirit of confidence in the economy, political system and the citizenry of the nation.
Literary romanticism was a revolt against the literary values of
The previous age
As romanticism brought respectability to American letters, American writers made important contributions to what two genres:
Short story and novel
The crucial turning point in our national spirit came thus during
American romanticism
What event brought more attacks against the bible than did any other source
Publication of Darwin’s “origin of species”
The new literary spirit of romanticism dominated American literature during what years
1820-1865
Realism and naturalism appeared on the literary scene in the period
1865-1914
The three major groups of writers during this period were
Regionalists, realists, and naturalists
The three writers who are considered the “masters of realism” are
Howells, James, Clemens
How are naturalists best described ? What is their belief ?
That life was controlled by inexplicable forces
The regionalists served as the transition between what two groups of writers
Major romantics and major realists
What event in 1914 marked the end of the literary period characterized by the emergence of realism and naturalism
World war 1
What spirit of literary force did each of the following authors embody
Howells- middle class spirit James- cosmopolitan or internal spirit Clemens- frontier spirit
At the end of the literary period of realism and naturalism, what was the prevailing spirit
Pessimism
Bret Harte
What publication gained him fame
“The luck of the roaring camp”
Ambrose Bierce
He was regarded by many as the first American writer to use what
Black humor
Hamlin Garland
What is his brand of realism described as and what does it mean
Veritism, and it means “truth”
What literary element do Sarah Orne jewette’s short stories emphasize
Characterization rather than plot or setting
Sarah Orne Jewett
What type of people did she write about
Simple country people of Maine
Why did Emily Dickinson say that she rejected Christ
“It is hard to give up the world”
Emily Dickinson
How did she dress and when
Dressed in white for the last years of her life
What did William Dean Howells bring respectability to
Realism
In the armerican, how is Christopher Newman described
Determined, intelligent, and resourceful
What was henry James noted for
Psychological realism
What did Henry James develop through his characters
International theme
What did Henry James react against in fiction
Didacticism
In The adventures of huckleberry Finn, what does Samuel Longhorn Clemens use to tie the episodes together
A common setting
Hoe does Clemens criticize human weakness
By using satire
Samuel Longhorn Clemens
What did he make into an artistic form
A colloquial speech of the frontier
What two things is Clemens described as
Humanists and satirists
What made Clemens famous
By a tall tale
What ideas does Crane express in his works
Environment and heredity play a major role in shaping lives.
Men are caught in an indifferent, puzzling universe.
Blind fate determine man’s course.
In “God Fashioned the Ship of the World Carefully” the ship travels on the sea with
No direction
In what poems does Crane show the futility of man’s pursuit of happiness
“I saw a man pursuing the Horizon”
Cranes writings probed the inner workings of what
A soldiers mind
What is the theme of “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”
The conflict between civilization and rugged individualism is exemplified in the clash between the settles east and uncivilized west
What is the theme of “God Fashioned the Ship of the World Carefully”
Both God and world are reasonable for the worlds dirrectionalists course
What is the theme of “I Saw a Man Pursuing the Horizon”
The pursuit of happiness is absurd
What is the theme of “A Man Said to the Universe”
Whatever controlling power may exist feels no sense of obligation to man
What is the theme of “Should the Wide World Roll Away”
The ultimate values are only human values
Statements and facts about Jack London’s life
Ligitamate child who grew up in the San Fransisco slums.
Became and oyster pirate, then later helped catch oyster pirates.
Traveled as a hobo.
As a naturalists, what did London seem to believe regarding humans and animals
The there are no essential differences between humans and animals
What is the theme for “The Law of Life”
Many lof is no different from that of the animals.
In order for species to remain stronger, the weak and the ill are weeded out by nature.
What does “The Law of Life” show regarding the continuation of the race
That the continuation of the race is more important than the individual
Jack London’s writings reveal his deep interest in what
evolution
Frank Norris’s works stress the importance of what forces in shaping ones life
Social and economic forces
Who greatly influence Jack London
Emile Zola and Theidore Dreiser
What is the theme of “The Octopus”
Man is trapped by economical and social forces
Edwin Markham’s basic philosophy reflects what
Although man’s plight is at times tragic, it is not completely hopeless.
Man is capable of solving his own problems.
Man, in his fuller potential, can be “Godlike”
What is the dominant tone of “The Man With the Hoe” and what is the one optimistic implication
Melancholic, the poem’s warning implies that a solution to the problem presented is at least possible
What is William Porter’s trademark in his writing
Surprise ending
What is the literary element Porter focuses most on
Plot
What is the definition of situational irony
A composition between supposition and reality
What does literature of the 1930s, like John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath”, generally emphasize
Social issues
What primarily characterizes the Modern Era
Pessimism
According to Freud, what is conscience a result of
Social conditioning
What author and book have had the most significant lasting effects on the modern debasement of man
Charles Dawrin, “Origin of Species”
What are the two contrasting and erroneous views of man that have affected the American thought since World War 1
Man is merely an animal, and is his own god
What is the name of the substitute religion that defies man, rejects God and advocates a one world system
Humanism
Liberalism attempts to reconcile what two entities
Traditional Christianity and modern world view
In what region of the South is most of Eudora Welty’s fiction set
Mississippi Delta Country
Where have Eudora’s have her short stories regularly appeared
National magazines
What did Eudora win
The Pulitzer Prize
Despite the win, what did Eudora choose regarding where she wanted to live
Not to move from her home region
What is the major theme of “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains”
Mankind will wait too long to take action to stop its own destruction
What did Ray Bradbury do while he was in high school
Founded and edited a small, informal literary publication called Futura Fantasia
Before settling on writing, what did Ray Bradbury do
Explored acting
How is Stockdale’s love for freedom best explained
An understanding that stems from knowledge of its rarity
