Final English Flashcards
(54 cards)
What had to occur before a distinctly American literature could exist?
Dependence on English literature had to be abandoned
Where was the first permanent settlement in the new world?
Jamestown Virginia
What sustained the pilgrims through the hardships of their first years in New England
Their will to succeed and their confidence in Gods providential care
What was the cause of Puritanism’s decline
Material property had become a worldly interest and goals
Secular values were replacing religious views
Because colonial literature naturally reflected the interests and concerns of its writers, it is not surprising that the earliest authors wrote mostly about-
The threatening features of there environment
Once the colonists had established permanent settlements, the subject matter of literature predominantly concerned-
Religion
Underlying the literary romanticism of the period of national optimism was?
A national moved of optimism, a spirit of confidence in the economy political system and 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 the 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?
The publication of Charles Darwin “Origion 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 the 1865-1914 period were
Regionalist
Realist
Naturalist
Who were the three writers who are considered the “ masters of realism”
Howells
James
Clemens
How are naturalist best described? What is there belief?
They believed that life was controlled by inexplicable fores
The regionalist 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?
The beginning of WW1
What spirit of literary forces did each of the following authors embody
Howells
Clemens
James
Howells- middle class spirit James- cosmopolitan or international spirit Clemens- frontier spirit
At the end of the literary period of realism and naturalism, what was the prevailing spirit?
Pessimism
What publication gained Bret Harte fame?
” The Luck of the Roaring Camp”
Ambrose Bierce was regarded by many as the first American writer to use what?
Black humor
What is Hamlin Garland brand of realism described as and what does it mean?
Veritism- truth
What literary element do Sarah Orne Jewett’s short story emphasize?
The element of characterization rather than plot or setting
