Literature Final Flashcards
(74 cards)
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
