American Literature questions first term

What was the Lost Generation? Discuss three works that represent the Great War.

- The Lost Generation was a group of American authors who appeared as a result of WorldWar I, the generation of the 1920s. - They were raised during WWI. - The term was popularized by Ernest Hemingway in „The SunAlso Rises". - Authors influenced by the cruelty of the war - lost in life but also gave up on everything, touched by war - loss of personality and tradition, aimless actions, life, uncertainty of the future. WORKS: 1. The Sun Also Rises" Ernest Hemingway - story about Jake Barnes who is a veteran of World War I and now he works as a journalist in Paris. - unhappy love story between Jake and Lady Brett Ashley who does not want to be with him because he can not have sex - aimlessness of the life of the lost generation - men problems with masculinity - the influence of sex in life - independent women. 2. "The Great Gatsby" F. Scott Fitzgerald: - represents the Decline of the American Dream in post-war times - story from the view of Nick Caraway who comes to New York city to work there after participating in World War I, his neighbor is mysterious Jay Gatsby, also a former soldier who makes big parties and is known but no one knows exactly his past. - It turns out he fell in love with Nick's cousin Daisy when he was learning to be an officer in Louisville. - Nick calls Gatsby „great" because of his courage and uncompromising attitude to achieve his dreams, still Gatsby is a rather cold, dishonest, egocentric and careless man. - The green light at the end of Daisy's dock symbolizes hope for American dream and for love. 3. "Prufrock and Other Observations" Thomas Stearns Eliot - The book contains a narrative poem "The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock" - The poem describes a failure of a modern man to attain spiritual integrity; love as aromatic value, an illusion. - a man that is looking for love in an uncertain world. - He is unsure, scared, overwhelmed. - unable to take action, so he hesitates. - disappointment, anxiety, desire

How is it different (Great Awakening) from the treatment of emotions by the early Puritans?

- The Puritans' sense of being a part of God's great design resulted in their conviction that it is their duty to make certain that the Christian faith is not distorted by anything not warranted by the Scripture. - Therefore, in the case of early Puritans, emotions were treated as a thing of minor importance, because they were an obstacle on the way of accomplishing discipline and self-control, features which were valued by the Puritans.

Describe the significance of Eugene O'Neill for the modern theater

- "Through my experimental and emotional dramas, I am addressing the difficulties of human society with a deep psychological complexity" - "I am absolutely sick and tired of commercial realities of the theater world I was born into. So, I had to change sth. I produced amazing works of importance and integrity" - "Without me, You wouldn't have many socially important plays!!!" - "I was inspired from my troubled youth and family conflicts and that way I created plays of great variety. in other words, a great amount of drama in my childhood inspired me. My plays were about: - my own life, because why not? - conflicts between American country and city, because I am a basic bitch. hehe - American history and culture, philosophy, world history - I have created authentic proletarian characters - I was the first one to depict black people as positive characters. BLACK LIVES MATTER - I portrayed emancipated women, you go girl! - I saw the theatre as a valid forum for the presentation of serious ideas. - I wanted my dramas to be as powerful as ancient Greek tragedies and to awake serious emotions PLAYS: - Desire Under the Elms - Mourning Becomes Electra

What was imagism? Why was it short lived as a movement and yet significant for literary history?

- (1909-1917) - inspired by French symbolism, Japanese haiku and tanka - attacked romantic sensibility - the life descripted as it is, without romantic idealization - Direct Treatment of the "thing," whether subjective or objective - To use absolutely no word that did not contribute to the representation - Imagism was destroyed by disagreements between its representatives. - Ezra Pound disapproved of arrogance and democratic notions forced by Amy Lowell, soon stepping away from the movement - it is significant, because it inspired (William Carlos Williams) examples: - essay by F.S. Flint, "Imagisme" - Ezra Pound "A Retrospect"

Discuss the debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois.

- A debate between Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois: - different approaches for fighting racial discrimination of Black people. Booker T. Washington: - "earn equality through hard work and being useful!" - "Black people should focus on industrial education and slowly work their way up into acceptance" - "it sucks that many white people are not supportive of Black people's progress" - "let's accept discrimination for a while, it's a process" (are you serious man?!) - "I helped the Black population to establish themselves in America" W. E. B. Du Bois: - "and that's why I am absolutely fond of Booker's strategy, although at the beginning I liked it" - "accepting discrimination would only perpetuate it" - "my strategy is much more direct. I am also a co-founder of NAACP, an organization that fought injustice towards people of colour) - "I want Black people to have as high education as possible" - "I directly fought for Black people's equal rights and higher education" Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois: - "we both contributed greatly to war against racism, despite our different approaches and divided supporters" - Washington: ok whites hate us but lets be nice and show them that we are better than they think, maybe then they will like us Du Bois: no, if we do that they are still going to discriminate us, lets fight for our rights actively

How are Benjamin Franklin's views and life representative of the American Enlightenment?

- Benjamin Franklin was a true man of the Enlightenment, embracing science, reason, natural human rights, free thinking and morality. - He subscribed to deism, an Enlightenment-era belief in a God who created but has no continuing involvement in the world and the events within it - nevertheless, Franklin was tolerant of different churches. - Deists also advanced the belief that personal morality, an individual's moral compass, leading to good works and actions is more important than strict church doctrines. - In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin the author emphasizes the importance of basic moral virtues that serve "practical" purposes in the lives of men. - Although Franklin made plenty of money from his printing, he also believed his work served a greater civic and humane purpose. - Newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets he printed were spreading knowledge among citizens throughout the land. - His career as a printer made Franklin wealthy and well-respected. - When he retired, he devoted himself to politics and scientific experiments. - His most famous work, on electricity, exemplified Enlightenment principles. Elements of enlightenment in Franklin's thought: - rationalism - pragmatism - empiricism (as opposed to dogmatic faith), - humanism (a belief in the potential of humankind), - deism (the idea that God exists but does not interfere with the world), - focusing on this life rather than afterlife, - working towards the civic society, - responsibility and ethics over abstract morality, - a belief in science.

What were captivity narratives? Provide one example of such a narrative. Why were they significant for the later generation of writers (e.g. James Fenimore Cooper)?

- Captivity narratives are stories of people who have been captured by enemies or by those whom they consider uncivilized. - The best-known captivity narratives in North America are those concerning Europeans and Americans taken as captives and held by the indigenous peoples of North America. - the victim reflecting upon the previous life and justifying the present predicament - significant to the later generation = it helped capture the life of the frontier example: - James Cooper 'The last of the Mohicans' - the captivity and rescue of two colonial women taken deep into the woods by Indians. - Cooper does not dehumanize the Indian - delicate, almost melancholy view of the wilderness.

Describe the poets referred to as the Confessionals. Provide at least three names and discuss their poetry

- Confessional poetry - a transition between modernist and postmodern poetry, emerged in the United States during the late 1950s and early 1960s. - Priority to the description of one's most intimate life - direct recording of their experience - exploration of the most drastic states of consciousness - Intimate, private contact with a reader, an intimate "conversation". - poetry of the personal or "I" - focusing on extreme moments of individual experience, the psyche, and personal trauma - treated themselves with self-irony themes & taboo matters: - mental illness - sexuality - suicide - relationship - divorce - mental breakdown suicide attempts 1. Robert Lowell Life Studies: - teacher of Sexton and Plath - inspired by Ginsberg - during 2 was he didn't want to become a soldier, so he went to prison - he protested against Vietnam war - intense, uninhibited discussion of personal, family, and psychological struggles - had depression - death of heart issue 2. Anne Sexton Love Poems - A psychiatrist advised her to start writing - as a form of a therapy, she was depressed - she went for a poetry course, where she met Sylvia Plath - she became very successful, very fast - She explored the myths such as: the archetypal relationships among mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, gods and humans, men and women - she broke the taboos, she talked about menstruation, affairs and abortion SHE COMMITTED SUICIDE 3. Sylvia Plath Lady Lazarus - An ironic reference to the Biblical story of Lazarus, who was brought back to life after three days. - The speaking person claims to have had three suicide attempts, but none of them was successful. - Being brought back to life -> comparison to a miracle performance. - The speaking person feels like a tool to show God's power in front of believers. - This "show", this performance is against her will. COMMITTED SUICIDE

Describe the significance of the theory of evolution and Herbert Spencer's 'synthetic philosophy' for the first generation of naturalist writers. Provide at least two examples of such authors.

- Darwin came out with the theory of evolution and it was the first reasonable explanation, how people appeared on the earth. - the belief of evolution was based on scientific facts - religion < science - Spencer: - created a doctrine of social darwinism. - principles of evolution, like natural selection, also apply to human societies, social classes and individuals - survival of the fittest - synthetic philosophy: collection of books, about rules of psychology, morality, sociology, biology - he saw philosophy as a synthesis of these subjects (written above) to replace the theological systems of the Middle Ages - he published this idea BEFORE DARWIN - he thought that evolution was caused by inheritance of acquired characteristics, Darwin believed in natural selection - Spencer's theories became a foundation of a deterministic view of life that found its expression in naturalist writers' texts. - They saw a man as a creature whose life is determined by forces over which he has no control such as his biological instincts EXAMPLES: 1. Theodore Dreiser: "Sister Carrie" 2. Jack London: "To built a fire" 3. Henry James: "Daisy Miller"

How was E.A. Poe's philosophy of writing different from the understanding developed by the American Transcendentalists?

- Edgar Allan Poe criticised the Transcendental movement. - disapproved of the thought that literature should convey ideas. - wanted art to be for art's sake - his texts evoke the feelings of terror and uncertainty ("The Cask of Amontillado") - representative of dark romanticism. Transcendentalists: - opted for optimism and enthusiasm - perceived the world as basically moral - its visible in "Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, chief representative of Transcendentalism. Emerson: - strongly encourages readers to trust themselves, be individualistic and take action - believes in human power and intuition. - calls for changes in the education system (reforming the reading list- he conveys ideas through his text!) - he is an emblem of America the Symbol: America the new birth of freedom, the unlimited frontier of possibility. - contrasted with Poe's surreal, claustrophobic, and weirdly rationalistic American Gothic, world of vice, madness, and murder somehow put into motion by dark applications of reason.

Discuss the role of emotions in the Great Awakening

- Emotions were of great significance in the sermons from the time of Great Awakening. - The purpose was to strongly impress the listeners, to bring them to a deeper understanding of faith through evoking strong emotions. - Another aim was to establish a more personal relationship with God, and emotions were important in achieving that goal. - In the case of Jonathan Edwards' Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, the entire sermon is structured to appeal to the emotions of the listeners through vivid descriptions of the horrendous fate awaiting sinful human beings, which Edwards explains includes everyone in the congregation. - By using fear to reach the readers, the author thought there was better potential for change.

How does the Native American tradition differ from the European?

- European fairy tales traditionally begin with the vague allusion "once upon a time," the American Indian myth often starts with "before the people came" or "when Coyote was a man." - In American origin tales, as opposed to the Bible, the human does not have control and domination over the animal world - There is no sin or lost harmony of the world, unlike in the Bible - The world begins as a chaos which then manages to find harmony; in the Bible, the situation develops in the opposite direction - Native Americans traditionally did not believe in a single supreme, autonomous, and eternal being who established the conditions under which all beings must exist. Nor did they consider humans as having a radically different nature from the rest of earth's inhabitants, which they conceived of as intelligent, self-willed, and communicative.originate in a protoworld (like Eden) but rather in the womb of the Earth Mother

Name at least two Puritan writers who were not poets.

- Jonathan Edwards (theologian) - Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - John Winthrop (lawyer) - The History of New England - William Bradford (the governor of the Plymouth Colony) - Of Plymouth Plantation

Describe the origin and the significance of the movement of the Great Awakening.

- Great Awakening was a religious revival in the British American colonies 1720- 1740s. - The movement (led mainly by Jonathan Edwards) came at a time when the idea of secular rationalism was being emphasized, and passion for religion had grown stale. - Its aim was to go back to the original strictness of the Puritan faith. - Christian leaders often traveled from town to town, preaching about the gospel, emphasizing salvation from sins and promoting enthusiasm for Christianity. - The result was a renewed dedication toward religion. - The Great Awakening allowed American Indians and African Americans to convert to Protestantism and even address to their other members. - The Great Awakening helped colonists see that all people are equal in God's eyes and religious tolerance was needed. - Colonists realized that if everyone is equal, they have as much power as the authority. - The Great Awakening was also the rebirth of religion in the colonies. - Ordinary people were encouraged to make a personal connection with God, instead of relying on a minister. - Newer denominations, such as Methodists and Baptists, grew quickly. - movement unified the colonies and boosted church growth, - experts say it also caused division among those who supported it and those who rejected it. - Many historians claim that the Great Awakening influenced the Revolutionary War by encouraging the notions of nationalism and individual rights. - The revival also led to the establishment of several renowned educational institutions, including Princeton, Rutgers, Brown and Dartmouth universities.

How are they manifested in selected chronicles and sermons of the 17th century?

- In William Bradford's chronicle "Of Plymouth Plantation", we read about his conviction that America had been chosen as the place for a very special experiment in man's spiritual history. - The idea of America as an exceptional entity dates back to colonial times. Its roots can be found in the thought of Puritan settlers who regarded the North American continent as a promised land where a new Canaan could be built as a model for the rest of the world. - The earliest expression of this belief that continues to live on in American public memory comes from John Winthrop, a Puritan leader and first governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony. - Winthrop delivered a lay sermon aboard the Arbella, during its passage to New England in 1630, in which he declared that his fellow settlers "must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us." - Winthrop's words were circulated in manuscript form and have since become one of the main formative texts of American self-identity and meaning. - Inherent in this notion of the city on a hill is the belief that the American colonists, and those who have followed them, were uniquely blessed by God to pursue His work on Earth and to establish a society that would provide this beacon for the betterment of all humankind.

In what sense were James Fenimore Cooper and Mark Twain writers of the frontier and how was their treatment of the frontier different?

- James Fenimore Cooper and Mark Twain were very important writers of the frontier, but with a different approach. - they focused on different aspects and presented the frontier in diverse ways. James Fenimore Cooper: - the first important American writer to draw on the subjects and landscape of his native land to create a vivid myth of frontier life. - showed the frontier more like an idyllic and romantic wilderness than a realistic place. - skillfully dramatized the clash between the frontier wilderness and the encroaching civilization. - wrote a series of novels about frontier. characteristics of his novels (romances of the frontier and the settlement): - power of the frontier is shown - native background created with mastery - romanticized portrayal of the Native Americans - idealization of the frontier life - heroism of the settlers - simple, natural life - nobility of the natural man Mark Twain: - South-western humor - camp or bar-room stories, such as "tall tales" (story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual) stories of: boasting, bragging, and exaggeration. - managed to stay true to the facts and be idealistic and nostalgic at the same time. - brilliant, bold in seeing fit to explore and expose what others of his era

Discuss the major concepts of Puritanism (predestination, the new covenant, the elects vs. the reprobates).

- King Henry VIII separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 (because he wanted to remarry) - A new religious reform movement, Puritanism, in the late 16th and 17th centuries sought to "purify" the Church of England of remnants of the Roman Catholics. - In other words, they were English Protestants who wanted to establish a society in which Christ was King and they could worship him freely according to their consciences. - They were 1/3 of the people on the Mayflower ship. - They were deeply influenced by the Swiss reformer John Calvin (Calvinism), they believed that God brought all things to pass → this leads to the doctrine of predestination. - Predestination - a doctrine developed by John Calvin stating that there are only a few elects (certain individuals) who have been destined to be saved since the beginning of time because God had chosen them, whereas most people are meant to be condemned eternally (the reprobates); no amount of human effort could change this situation. - In the doctrine of predestination, it is God determining certain events to occur ahead of time. God is actively and directly involved in the affairs of nations and of individuals. - The doctrine of predestination, first elaborated by John Calvin, was adopted by Congregationalists (they rejected all structures higher than individual Churches - the National Church was the work of Antichrist; each church was to be independent in matters of faith). - Congregationalists adopted a new religious-political solution called the Half-Way Covenant that allowed the children of baptized but unconverted church members to be baptized and thus become church members and have political rights.

Discuss the narrative experiments introduced by modernist fiction writers. Refer to at least three modernist novels.

- Literary modernism is characterized by experimentation in language and form. CHANGES IN PLOT/NARRATIVE: - disrupted order - causality - open-ended - stream of consciousness technique CHANGES IN CHARACTER: - alienated - internal struggle - abnormal, extreme CHANGES IN DESCRIPTIONS AND DETAILS: - symbolic - mythical CHANGES IN LANGUAGE: - it's what we see, the mirror is broken, scratched - experiments with print Gertrude Stein „The Making of Americans": - stretched narrative structure and distorted syntax. - testing the limits of language because, according to her, language should not be perceived as a tool, but rather as its own being - Art should be experimental, breaking through the paved path. Francis Scott Fitzgerald „Great Gatsby": - stylistic experimentation - the narrative: symbolism, figurative language. - synesthesia, for example in the phrase "Yellow cocktail music" he combines different types of imagery into one. Ernest Hemingway „The Sun Also Rises": - perfect visualisation of Hemingway's „Tip of the Iceberg" principle - minimalistic style - focus on surface elements without explicitly discussing underlying themes. - believed that deeper meaning of a story should not be evident on the surface but should shine through implicitly - For example, it can be seen through the character creation in „The Sun Also Rises" because their personalities are not described, but rather shown through their actions.

What was the Beat generation? Provide three names other than Allen Ginsberg and discuss the author of your choice. The Beat Generation

- Literary movement started by a group of young writers, including Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, and Gregory Corso, in the early fifties. - revolt against the commercialized society, stifling conventions and sexual repression - rejection of any constraints on art; free, spontaneous artistic expression - preference for oral poetry - description of the experience of crime, madness, drugs, anarchy - experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs and meditation and Eastern religions - no taboos in content (return to the body, sexuality, homosexuality) and in the language examples: 1. A. Lawrence Ferlinghetti - established the first all-paperback bookstore in the country: "City Lights" - had a wide influence on the growth of poetry - revolutionized poetry publishing when he released the series of small books called "Pocket Poets". - It gave a chance for young poets to publish their work - encouraged young poets to read their poetry aloud and gave them editorial advice - wrote poetry which was based on opposing the establishment and its values through a variety of counter - "Little boy" 2. Jack Kerouac 3. Ken Kesey

What is Chicano/ a fiction, when was it developed and why?

- Mexican- American poetry from the XIXth century written by: - Mexicans who have moved to the United States - people born of Mexican ancestry - people who have lived in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of California before the United States annexed these areas - Spanish-speaking Catholics living in a predominantly English-speaking Protestant country - Chicanos have the status of a linguistic and cultural minority - sense of ethnic identity (chicanismo) animates their work, often through the presentation of Chicano characters, cultural situations, and speech patterns. - focus on the themes of identity, discrimination, and border culture, validation of Chicano culture in the United States. - often associated with the social justice and cultural claims of the Chicano movement. - developed after the end of the Mexican-American War as a critical and creative response to ethnical discrimination and prejudice that Chicano citizens after the war.

Describe the difference between the romancer (N. Hawthorne) and the veritist (W.D. Howells).

- Nathaniel Hawthorne said that a romancer „rejected the ordinary and probable course of man's experience; questioned reason and fact". In Hawthorne's texts: - fascination with the antisocial and abnormal is visible. - Human sinfulness and the dark side of human relationships are shown. certain themes occur: - light and darkness, - femme fatale, - laughter, - dream, - the theme of evil in oneself - losing one's innocence - open endings. - In Hawthorne's texts there's focus on human psychology and the invisible world. - On the contrary, realism focused on the present and the real world. William Dean Howells: - in "Criticism and Fiction" introduced the notion of a 'veritist' (a realist) that replaced the romancer. - He criticised the romantic ideals. - He wrote that a veritist should try to present "a truthful picture of the world" seeking "the universal" vs the focus of romancers on individuals.

What was the New Journalism? Describe the origin of the term and major works of this convention.

- New Journalism = „non fictional prose" - reserved for prose, authors describing current events presenting them in a subjective light and combining fact and fiction - psychology of characters - reaction towards the new generation of writers - creative type of journalism 1. Tom Wolf: The New Journalist 1973 - collection of essays 2. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968) -biography of Ken Kesey 3. Truman Capote, In Cold Blood (1968) -details the murder of a family, the personal voice withdrawn, an attempt at an objective presentation of the murder and psychology of murderers.

What is off-Broadway and off-off Broadway theater? Name its major representatives and discuss the significance of both theaters for modern drama.

- Off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in Manhattan in New York City, with seating capacity between 100 and 499. - Every theatre with capacity over 500 is considered to be a Broadway theatre. - Off-Broadway theatres appeared in the 1950s, as a response to commercialization of Broadway and growing need of young actors to have a place where they can perform. - The first great off-Broadway musical was the 1954 revival of "The Threepenny Opera''. - Off-off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in Manhattan in New York City, with seating capacity lower than 100. - Plays, which are being held there, are mostly experimental and avant-garde. Examples: - Caffe Cino, opened by Joe Cino - La MaMa, founded by Ellen Stewart - Judson Poets Theatre, developed by Al Carmines

In what sense is Benjamin Franklin's philosophy of economic individualism indebted to the Puritan ethic?

- Philosophy of economic individualism is based on self-reliance, which means the individual should be self-sufficient and not count on government's assistance. - This way, it pushes the individual to work harder. - (this mindset is still present in American society!) - It is associated with the Puritan ethic as this ethic emphasized the importance of individual effort to be one's best self. - This was because everyone hoped they were among the ''elects''. - If they were indeed, then it should be easily seen they belonged to that group as they were so virtuous and prosperous. - According to Puritans for each individual, the only absolute authority over him is God and as a consequence all men become equal before God. - So according to the Puritan ethic every man should enjoy equal obligation and the same chance. - This postulate is closely tied up with one of the most important values of American individualism, which attaches great importance to equality of chance and competition. - Puritanism declared the necessity and duty to work, worshiped manual labour and taught people to forego present pleasure for future reward. - The habits of discipline and saving as well as philosophy of self-reliance and respect of individual achievement reared by Puritanism produced the moral basis for economic individualism.

What were slave narratives? Describe their origin and significance as well as provide two titles of major works that represent this tradition.

- Slave narratives told of the horrors of family separation, the sexual abuse of black women, and the inhuman workload. - told of free black people being kidnapped and sold into slavery. - described the frequency and brutality of flogging and the severe living conditions of slave life. Origin: Slave narratives by African slaves from North America were first published in England in the 18th century. MAJOR WORKS: 1. Jupiter Hammon (1720-1806), educated domestic slave, had become the first Black in America to have a poem published. - religious poem "An Evening Thought" appeared as a broadside - printed in London - in 1760. 2. Phillis Wheatley 'Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral' (1773) - printed in London - the first book to be published by an American Black person. - main form of African-American literature in the 19th century. - publicized by abolitionists, who sometimes participated as editors, or writers if slaves were not literate. - demonstrated that African Americans were people with mastery of language and the ability to write their own history. - Personal accounts of former slaves provide the true reality of their lives. - Slave's perspective is an indispensable part of comprehending slave culture.

Who were the muckrakers? Why are they significant for the transition from realism to naturalism?

- The muckrakers were reform-minded journalists in the Progressive Era (a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the USA 1890-1920) - muckrakers= investigative journalism= watchdog journalism= reform journalism. - exposed established institutions and leaders as corrupt. - typically had large audiences in popular magazines. - McClure's Magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism. - Muckracking magazines took on corporate monopolies and political machines while trying to raise public awareness or anger at urban poverty, unsafe working conditions, prostitutions or child labor. - Muckrakers examples: - Frank Norris - Upton Sinclair - Ida Tarbell. - For naturalist writer the huge importance in literature should be put on social themes, including: corruption, urbanisation, imigration or child labor, so the themes were similar to the Muckrackers' interests who wrote (in general) non fiction on social themes = themes raised by the Muckrakers soon became themes raised by naturalist writers.

What are the beginnings of the modern American theater?

- Theatre in colonial America did have rough beginnings - people opposed this part of art on religious grounds - American legislature was not in favor of it. - theatre was banned in NYC, Pennsylvania and Boston - Change: after the Civil War - One of the most famous theatrical groups of colonial times: Provincetown players-> goal was to produce new plays (first performance of "Colonial Jones'' by Eugene O'Neill), - they were interested in naturalism and expressionism. - A playwright that was also absorbed by the latter was - Nowadays still extremely popular, Broadway theatre was born in 1915. - At the beginning it was mostly experimental, it was addressed to a more demanding audience than the usual theatre.

What is the trickster tale?

- Trickster tale, in oral traditions worldwide, is a story featuring a protagonist (often an anthropomorphized [human characteristics/behaviour given to an object/animal] animal) who has magical powers and who is characterized as a compendium of opposites. - Trickster stories may be told for amusement as well as on serious or sacred occasions. - The tricksters engage in a socially unacceptable behaviour, the tale's aim was to foster the tribal values by setting a negative example. - Trickster tales explain life's uncertainties: the stories feature "humorous and often scandalous attempts to violate and establish customs and values of the tribe". They teach a cultural lesson. - Coyote is possibly the most widely known indigenous North American trickster. - The story of the "Raven" in which the Raven arrives in a world of darkness and resolves to find the light, going on an adventure and using his smarts to take the light back with him.

What is Native American fiction? Provide the names of two major representatives from the contemporary period.

- Works written about Indians by non-Indians who have just used Indian stories or Indian characters. - Helen Hunt Jackson knew Indians and presented them with authenticity Characteristics of Native American fiction: - Language is poetic and moving - Interaction with nature is portrayed - Related to tribal knowledge, customs, and rituals - Trickster stories illustrate culturally appropriate behavior and explain the origins of some feature of the natural world examples: 1. Gerald Vizenor (,,Bearheart"), 2. Leslie Marmon Silko (,,Ceremony")

What is Asian American fiction? Provide the names of two major representatives from the contemporary period.

- Works written in English by Asian immigrants and Americans of Asian ancestry - Asian American literature became a category during the 1970s but didn't see a direct impact in viewership until later - Through their writing, Asian American authors have portrayed the Asian immigrant experience as seen by themselves rather than through the eyes of American mainstream press and literature. Common themes in Asian American literature: - race - culture - finding a sense of identity - Western racism towards Asians - Some authors also touch upon the lack of visibility and criticism of Asian American literature, asking why Asian American literature was never exposed or taken seriously. examples: - Maxine Hong Kingston - Amy Tan

Who were the New York Poets?

- a community of writers creating in the 1950s and 1960s in NYC. - The poets allowed everyday moments, pop culture, humor, and spontaneity into their work - seeking to capture life as it happened. - Influenced by literary surrealism and abstract expressionist painting, - they responded to the events of the day without embracing the heavy seriousness characteristic of some post-war intellectuals. - poetry tended to counter the structure, coherence and sense -Frank O'Hara, Kenneth Koch

Who were the Black Mountain Poets?

- a group of American postmodern poets centered around Black Mountain College in North Carolina in 20th century - Charles Olson, Robert Creeley, Robert Duncan - promoted a nontraditional poetry described by Olson in his essay from 1950 as "projective verse" - Olson discussed the importance of composing poetry according to the breathing of the individual poet, not according to the imposed patterns. - the form of the poem should be adjusted to the specific poetic situation because "the form is never more than an extension of content"!!!! characteristics of this poetry: - use of precise language - direct statement - fragmentary syntax - metonymy

What was the Jazz Age? Which writer is considered to be its embodiment and why?

- a period in the 1920s and 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles popularised themselves in the United States - It was a part of the Roaring Twenties. - It originated in New Orleans as a mix of African and European music and it had a huge influence on popular culture and cultural changes at that time - Langston Hughes is considered to be the embodiment of the Jazz Age. WHY HE? he: - was a writer and a poet - addressed his poetry to people, specifically black - openly shared his experience and views on racism, segregation, miscegenation, African American identity and the disappointment with the American dream - was very innovative - experimented with the blues and jazz idioms and language of an average African American.

Which post WWII writers adopted the philosophy of existentialism in their fiction? Provide two examples.

- a philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of the determining their own development through acts of the will. - Walker Percy - "The second coming" - Edward Albee - theatre

Discuss the rise of black humor/ the grotesque in American fiction in the 20th century. Focus on Nathanael West and the writers of the American South.

- black humor talks about things that are considered taboo, serious, painful to discuss - themes: death, crime, poverty, suicide, war, violence - elements of fantasy, fairy tales, myths, combined with parody of traditional fiction, popular formal genres - an unstable irony and pervasive satire. - actions and characters: grotesque - absurd through exaggeration and repetition - Writers and comedians often use it as a tool for exploring vulgar issues by provoking discomfort, serious thought, and amusement for their audience. - The concept of black humor first came to nationwide attention after the publication of a 1965 mass-market paperback titled Black Humor, edited by Bruce Jay Friedman - The paperback was one of the first American anthologies devoted to the concept of black humor as a literary genre - first American writers who employed black comedy in their works: Nathanael West and Vladimir Nabokov (at the time the genre was not widely known in the USA) Miss Lonelyhearts- Nathaniel West: - set in the reality of contemporary America - mature and highly symbolic statement on the human condition, through the medium of a newspaperman who edits the advice column as "Miss Lonelyhearts." - Miss Lonelyhearts read letters from single new-yorkers - he's work is perceived as a joke for other journalists - he is depressed because of his job - Miss Lonelyhearts generalizes on the situation of modern Americans: "Men have always fought their misery with dreams" - Although dreams were once powerful, they have been made puerile by the movies, radio and newspapers. - it shows depression era in American society "The Day of the Locust: - dramatizes betrayal through a vivid evocation of Hollywood as a Waste Land, where America's dreams have been trampled and simplified. - Hollywood represents the waste, artificiality and synthetic emotions of Americans - Hollywood stands for the ultimate illusion Writers of the American South: 1. Flannery O'Connor: - inspired by Nathaniel West - use of violence, despite the Christian and biblical themes - grotesque characters 2. Carson McCullers- The Ballad of the Sad Cafe - black humor is a characteristic of postmodernism (Nabokov's writing) - Black humor influenced the Theatre of the Absurd and Existentialism - in fiction this term can also refer to a genre in which dark humor is a core component

Describe the significance of the frontier for 19th century American literature and culture. When was the frontier considered to be closed?

- concept of a place that exists at the edge of civilization (colonies, which were not yet unified to create the States) - this period became romanticized and idealized in literature and art, so it formed a myth - the idea of the frontier was very strong, it created a tradition of self-sufficiency, which is very American-like - first, this territory was seen as a dark, not civilized, but soon, people (especially from Europe) started moving there to live in peace, far from the irritating civilization - it became a dream to live in this wild, but free land = individualists willing to take up new challenges. - The Frontier is considered to be closed in 1890, this was announced on a broadcast. - It informed that there were no longer any lands without settlers.

In what sense does Henry James' psychological realism anticipate modernism? Discuss his narrative techniques and list three titles of his major novels.

- dominant trend in American literature between World War I and World War II. - highlighted innovation in the form and language of poetry and prose, as well as addressing numerous contemporary topics, such as race relations, gender and the human condition. Henry James = key transitional figure between literary realism and Modernism. He employed modernist techniques: - stream-of-consciousness narration to explore the psychology of his characters - focusing on the effect of external events on individual consciousness. - Unresolved conflicts - human psyche - evasive endings are the giveaway signs of a modernist text - events in his stories are not straightforward, as they happen to fictional characters, but as they are experienced i.e. felt, understood, and responded to. - narrative is usually indirect, filtered through a fictional consciousness between the reader and the event. Three narrative techniques put forward by James: 1. the "central consciousness" (a character that he would stay with throughout a story, whose mind we would thus be limited to in our perception of the action) 2. the "limited point of view" (according to James, everybody sees the world from their own limited point of view) 3. the "organic form" (central to James' understanding of the novelistic genre was his assumption that the work of art should be organically coherent and unified), convey the theme very well. Most famous works: - "Daisy Miller" (1878) - "The Portrait of a Lady" (1881) - "The Bostonians" (1886)

It is believed that modernist fiction/ poetry addresses epistemological issues. Why? your discussion with examples from literature.

- epistemology is a study of the origin, nature, and limits of human knowledge - modernist poetry and fiction addresses epistemological issues, the way each individual sees the world, and how different the view is for everyone - the way other people think and the realization that one cannot know exactly what the other person thinks Ezra Pound "In a Station of a Metro": - he very briefly describes the phenomenon of people in a metro station - The poem is only two verses long - portrays how one sees an occurrence as simple and mundane as a crowd in a metro - The people are described as apparitions, faint and quickly disappearing - they're not there for the speaker to remember, as they quickly disappear into the crowd - hows how each individual sees various things in a different way William Carlos Williams "This Is Just to Say": - the speaker apologizes to someone for eating their plums - It almost reads as a sticky note stuck to a refrigerator - extremely simple - even the simplest things (eating plums) can be portrayed in a poetic way - not every poem has to be about something grand and important Ernest Hemingway "The Sun Also Rises": - other epistemological issue: the realization that one cannot know exactly what the other person thinks - characters act very strangely, sometimes even impulsively and without any reason - difficult to fully understand the characters' actions and their reasoning. - They say one thing but then do something that contradicts their statements (Brett at some point states that she is in love with a bullfighter, Romero, but then after a short while breaks up with him, stating that she "doesn't want to ruin his career" and wants to go back to another character - Mike). - act in a haphazard way = this shows how each mind thinks differently and it's hard to pinpoint a person's reasoning

What was local color fiction and when did it originate? With which convention of writing is it associated? Provide the names of its three major representatives.

- fiction and poetry that focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region - short stories - originated in 1870s (after civil war) when there was an outburst of interest in literary works which would employ local dialects and peculiarities - associated with realist, naturalist convention - newly awakened public interest in distant parts of the United States, providing a nostalgic memory of times gone by - regional fiction: written by those who knew the scene well and described it accurately without idealizing or exoticizing, written in the realist convention. - fiction and poetry that focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region. - The narrator of the story is often a person native to the setting, and adds local color to the narrative. - The stories include local dialects, characters with mannerisms distinct to the area, historical references, and social customs. Examples: 1. Kate Chopin "The Awakening" (1899) - an educated woman from Kentucky married to a Creole businessman and falling in love. 2. Hannibal Hamlin Garland "A Son of Middle Border" (1917) - described the life of a cattle country: an expert on "Indian issues". 3. Mark Twain "Roughing It" (1872) - autobiographical account of his travels in the Southwest and Hawaii, tall tales, character sketches.

Describe the significance of John Steinbeck and the reasons for his popularity during his lifetime.

- gave a voice to working class America - writes about people, readers are not familiar with, but he makes them relatable to general audience - "Tortilla flap"- huge bestseller - "Mice and men" - another bestseller, he was playing with a new form of writing, he wanted to make a play out of his book - "Grapes of wrath"- again, bestseller, then screen version (great one) REASONS: - relatable to the masses - he wrote about the plight of migrant workers, poor farmers, others who lived economically marginal lives - people deprived of their native land and subjected to abuse, poverty and starvation in what they thought to be the Promised Land - shown on an example of single family - clear and informative writing- provides insight into the lives of various groups of people one of his most famous novels - reveals the economic problems faced by agricultural workers during the Great Depression. - It summed up the bitterness of that decade - aroused widespread sympathy for the plight of migratory farmworkers, proletariat - shows a process of the growing social consciousness among the migrants - Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962 - realistic, contains political analysis, applies, examines powerful symbols, emotionally moving and beautiful.

Describe the rise of gothic fiction in the United States. Build on the examples of Charles Brockden Brown and E.A. Poe.

- named after gothic architecture (the setting was often a gothic castle in Europe. ) - Gothic fiction (in the USA) as a genre was first established in Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto" in 1764. - fascination with the medieval past - consists discussions of psychology, morality, philosophy, and religion - evil villains = metaphors for some sort of human temptation the hero must overcome. - The endings = not unhappy - romance is never the focus. - Charles Brockden Brown was one of those who wrote this type of fiction. - he wrote for magazines - His first Gothic novel, "Wieland" (1798), concerns Theodore Wieland, whose father has died by spontaneous combustion, apparently for violating a vow to God. - Theodore was also a religious enthusiast seeking direct communication with divinity, misguidedly assumes that a ventriloquist's utterances are supernatural in origin; - he was driven insane, - he acts upon the prompting of this "inner voice" and murders his wife and children. - He is eventually driven to kill himself. - This novel is about the influence of abnormal on a man = abnormal and the supernatural were of interest to writers of Gothic fiction. Edgar Allan Poe: -introduced psychological elements: - descriptions of various mental states (often abnormal) - wrote tales of psychosis, grotesque, arabesque, ratiocination = they were written in the tradition of Gothicism. - Motive of madness - He challenged the dominance of reason and celebrated imagination. - 'single effect' - he wanted to evoke one particular emotion (often fear, terror and uncertainty). "The Cask of Amontillado" gothic elements: - supernatural occurrence or agent in the story; - setting is underground in the Montresor catacombs - a damp, dark, terribly smelling and claustrophobic passageway, and lending always downward; - Fortunato doesn't know this, but he is descending a stairway to hell rather than to sample a rare wine (death awaits him - he was eventually bricked up by Montresor). - Poe revolutionized gothic stories by placing the horror not outside, as usual (in setting, bones, skeletons, catacomb, cellars) but inside = human psychology, made Montresor the source of all evil. - the story is told from the perspective of the murderer - the reader is inside his mind = changes the way we view his actions.

What prose genres dominate the canon of Puritan literature? Why?

- sermons, historical narratives (chronicles and diaries). - relied on a religious, rather than an entertainment, theme. - by using these types of communications, they illustrated their values and the importance of the Bible and God in their daily lives. - Puritans didn't believe in writing for entertainment, rather, they thought of writing as a tool to reach people with the story of God. - to guide in daily life, educate, convey religious messages - Fiction genres such as novel were avoided, since usually aesthetics play a great role in this kind of literature and that was something Puritans didn't consider as something useful, important. - They were of the opinion that adorned, ornamental literature could distract the reader from more significant aspects of life, such as hard work. - simple style of writing. Puritans lived simple lives, so it stands to reason that their style of writing would mimic the same pattern. - used direct and simple language and sentence structure to convey their point, shunning the more elaborate style of writing that was popular in many circles at the time.

What was the Harlem Renaissance? Describe the origin of the movement and its major practitioners.

- the period between the two World Wars, when Afro-American literature flowered and arrived at full maturity. - a golden age in African American culture. - during the twenties the Harlem district of New York became the center of Black music, art, and life. - originally, meant to be an upper-class white neighborhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and landlords trying to fill them. - In the early 1900s, a few middle-class Black families moved to Harlem, and other Black families followed. - As a result of that Harlem became an African American neighborhood in the beginning of the XX century.- By 1930 almost the entire area was exclusively Black. - home for one of the greatest periods of Black art and entertainment, large numbers of writers, artists, musicians - It became a "promised land" for African American, drawing people from other regions of the U.S., from Latin America and the West Indies, and even from Africa. - The Harlem Renaissance gave artists pride in and control over how the black experience was represented in American culture and set the stage for the civil rights movement. - Although many fine writers emerged from the Harlem Renaissance, the best-known ones are Langston Hughes, McKay, Countee Cullen and Jean Toomer 1. Langston Hughes - "poet of the people". - work concerned with the Black's tragic cultural and social situation - "I, too, Sing America" Hughes puts his faith in the American ideal which he hopes will help his people 2. Countee Cullen - poems about race - "Heritage" he questions whether the American Negro, after centuries of separation, has any affinity with Africa. 3. Claude McKay - came from Jamaica, felt more alienated in America than Hughes and Cullen. - lived abroad for a while, and upon his return he wrote the award-winning and bestselling novel "Home to Harlem". - The artistic excitement ended with the stock market crash in 1929. - The Great Depression of the 1930s affected African Americans more than the rest of the population.

What is protest fiction? Name at least two representatives.

- work of fiction in which a social problem, such as race, gender, or class prejudice is dramatized through the effects it has on the characters. social problems: - poverty - conditions in factories and mines - the plight of child labor - violence against women - rising criminality - rising epidemics because of over-crowding - poor sanitation in cities examples: 1. Harriet Beecher Stowe - "Uncle Tom's Cabin" - an anti-slavery novel 2. John Steinbeck - "The Grapes of Wrath" - the plight of the poor 3. Upton Sinclair - "The Jungle" - portrays the harsh working conditions and exploits lives of immigrants in the United States

Describe the significance of impersonality for early modernist poetry. Who was the author of the concept, where was it elaborated and in opposition to what tendency?

1) - poet should detach himself from his work! - don't include any of his personal emotions! - focus on the literary tradition, rather than the conservative cesura and moral standards! - poet is more of a medium than a full creator! - focus of criticism and praise should be on the text, not the author. - poetry should not be treated as a creative flow of one's mind, but rather a concentrated process with consciousness of the tradition. 2) The author of the concept is T.S. Elliot 3) it was elaborated in an essay "Tradition and the Individual Talent" 4) In opposition to poetry seen as the expression of a poet's personality and feelings, and against the romantic style of sensual poetry.

Discuss two playwrights from the second half of the twentieth century (Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, Sam Shepard, David Mamet, Tony Kushner) and their contribution to modern American drama.

1. Edward Albee 2. Tony Kushner: - Angels in America: a story about AIDS, homosexuality, different religions, drugs, addiction - series on hBO; he was a screenwriter of it and he also plays a jewish man there. good actors: Emma Thompson, Maryl Streep, al Pacino and many many more - a very intellectual play - helped Spielberg remake west side story

Discuss the fiction of two major African American male writers from the second half of the twentieth century.

1. Ralph Waldo Ellisson: 1. "Invisible Man" - It is a story told by an unnamed black man and it addresses issues such as: - black nationalism - the relationship between black identity and Marxism, - reformist racial policies of Booker T. Washington, as well as issues of individuality and personal identity. - book was very well received by critics who described it as a "masterpiece" - The book is written in an improvisational jazz-style - criticized for not being militant enough. 2. "Shadow and Act" is a collection of essays - insistence on refuting both black and white stereotypes of what an African American writer should say or be. - book continues to instruct, delight, and occasionally outrage readers. 2. James Baldwin - his works are considered to be one of the most important in African American literature. - "Go tell it on the mountain" - semi-autobiographical novel - tells the story of John Grimes, an intelligent teenager in 1930s Harlem, and his relationship to his family and his church. - back stories of John's mother, his biological father, and his violent, religious fanatic stepfather, Gabriel Grimes. - focus on the role of the Pentecostal Church in the lives of African-Americans, as a negative source of repression and moral hypocrisy and also as a positive source of inspiration and community. - Giovanni's Room - wrote eloquently, thoughtfully, and passionately on the subject of race in America in novels, essays, and plays.

discuss major representatives of the second generation of American postmodernism

1. Thomas Pynchon - National Book Award winning novel, Gravity's Rainbow. - story is set in an area of post-World War II Germany - American soldier who is one of many odd characters looking for a secret V-2 rocket that will supposedly break through Earth's gravitational barrier when launched. - The narrative is filled with descriptions of obsessive and paranoid fantasies, ridiculous and grotesque imagery, and esoteric mathematical and scientific language. - fictional and nonfiction works. - complex novels with deep meanings experiment with different themes and styles of novel writing. - combine black humour and fantasy to depict human alienation in the chaos of modern society. 2. Toni Morrison - Nobel Prize laureate. - explored black identity in America (focusing on female experience). - A teacher, editor - African American culture was very present in her upbringing. - Wrote fiction, essays, non-fiction, children's books. 3. William Kennedy - author and journalist - novels feature elements of local history, journalism, and supernaturalism - combined history, fiction, and black humour in his next novel, Legs (1975), about Jack ("Legs") Diamond, an Irish-American gangster who was killed in Albany

Discuss the fiction of two major African American female authors from the second half of the twentieth century.

1. Toni Morrison - Nobel Prize laureate. - explored black identity in America (focusing on female experience). - A teacher, editor - African American culture was very present in her upbringing. - Wrote fiction, essays, non-fiction, children's books. Main themes: - lack of justice for black people - a struggle to find oneself and cultural identity. - She used fantasy, had a poetic style - "The Bluest Eye"- A young, black girl obsessed with white beauty standards. - "Beloved"- A story of a runaway slave who killed her infant to spare it life in slavery. - "Recitatif" 2. Alice Walker: - novels, short stories and poetry. - Main focus: women. - Civil rights activist, a teacher. Themes: - womanism (it is a social theory based on the history and everyday experiences of women of color, especially black women) - misogyny

Discuss three selected major Southern writers of the 20th century.

1. Walker Percy - interested in psychological issues - His works expressed existentialism, loneliness, Christian morality. - His prose: slow-paced, meditative, consists of themes such as man's despair and inability to accept the behavioristic, biological explanations of science as solutions to human experience. - "The Moviegoer": searching for meaning, value systems, loss and suffering. 2. Flannery O'Connor - a Catholic writer - She writes in a Southern Gothic style - grotesque characters, absurd situations. - goal: provoke readers to further thought. - morality and ethics - avoids preaching and moralizing. - about morally flawed characters, misfits, criminals, simple people. - "Wise Blood": redemption and sin, religious belief. 3. Eudora Welty - SHORT STORIES - Intimate, strange relationships, mythology. - deeply humanist message - focus on human endurance. - "Delta Wedding" relationships between family members and their relations with the world. - It also describes Southern culture

Discuss major Jewish American writers of the 20th century.

Bernard Malamud: - born in Brooklyn - when he was young he liked watching movies and relating the plot to his friends (WTF) - he liked Charlie chaplin - he was a teacher - "A Summer's reading"- Eastern European family, poor, not educated (he wrote about immigrant's everyday struggles, trying to educate themselves, find a job and get richer.) - grew up during Great Depression - he wanted to have a house, job and a girl Abraham Cahan: - editor of "Jewish Daily Forward" for 50 years!!! - devoted socialist - "The Rise of David Levinsky" - fictional autobiography, raising from rags to riches - theme: immigrant pursuing an American dream - he influenced later jewish authors: Philip Roth and Saul Bellow

Which philosophers and psychologists influenced American modernist writing? *Provide at least three names and discuss the significance of their theories

Carl Gustav Jung: - created analytical psychology, which includes for example introversion and extraversion - theory of the collective racial unconscious, - the importance of archetypes (the patterns that are inherited by people belonging to the same group) F. Nietzsche: - criticized god, religion, master-slave morality - relative morality -> his vision of human nature = Dionysiac, governed by the amoral god of unreason and drunkenness Sigmund Freud: - blurred difference between sanity and insanity; - the human ego at the mercy of the id; - the unconscious human being governed by the irrational forces one cannot defy. - Ego-identity covers a more primitive existence; - human behaviour impelled by the unconscious powers; - irrational and amoral, - difficult to control and never known directly, only through dreams and neuroses Their theories encouraged writers to explore and play with humans' psyche and collective psyche of society

Why was the poetry of Emily Dickinson so significant for American modernism? What tendencies in American modernist poetry did it anticipate?

Emily Dickinson: - "I stayed at home all my life and wrote poetry, because I had a social anxiety" - "my writing is significant to American Literature because of the way that I changed poetry" - "I took the time to observe life around me, including animals, plants, rocks, and homes; I treated them as equals" - "in my poems I am celebrating and affirming life" - "I wrote nature poems: observation of the natural life; a sense of awe and wonder" - "I investigated the link between the concrete world and its divine prototype" - "I also wrote love poems, but I was too excess emotionally" - "I aphorize on God, but my poetry is faaaaar from religious, ha ha" - "I like my death poems, which are about the experience of dying" - "I don't really care about political and social situation, that's why I don't mention the Civil War, great American writers and intellectuals" - My poetry is innovative (types of rhymes; irregularities of speech and rhythm, alliteration, assonance, simple, laconic diction; monosyllabic or disyllabic words; cryptic in poetry; no conjunctions)

William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway are considered to be the giants of American modernism. How are their styles and themes different?

Ernest Hemingway: - His style is influenced by journalistic career. - as a journalist, he learned to report facts crisply and succinctly. - Simple, direct, unadorned style - the reader must often use his imagination - plain grammar, easily accessible vocabulary, short sentences - characters speak plain day to day language - avoids adjectives, abstract nouns, complicated syntax and puts his emphasis on nouns, concrete, specific words. - includes only essential information, often omitting background information - fast sentence speed -choosing shorter words for simpler diction and omitting commas. - His writing style: The Iceberg Theory: focusing on surface elements without explicitly discussing the underlying themes - true meaning of a piece of writing should not be evident from the surface story, rather, the crux of the story lies below the surface and should be allowed to shine through. - (Only the tip of the story is visible on the page, while the restis left underwater-unsaid.) - master of dialogue. - The way characters speak is more important than what they say, because what they choose to say (or leave unsaid) illuminates sources of inner conflict. - Sometimes characters say only what they think another character will want to hear William Faulkner: - narrative devices mirror the psychological complexity of the short stories' characters and settings. - stream of consciousness narrative - no chronological order - multiple narrators - shifts between the present and past tense - long, meandering and complex sentences imitating stream of consciousness - Extended descriptions and details - The more complex the sentence structure, the more psychologically complex a character's thoughts. - description of an object followed by a description of a character - He forces the reader to have in mind details and phrases which are meaningful only at the end of the poem. - known for experimental writing, attention to the details of characters' utterance and state of minds.

Why has early modernism been described as the Pound era?

Ezra Pound: - was the most powerful shaping force upon modern Anglo-American poetry - modernized traditional poetry. "Make it new", make the poetry new - associated with a movement called "imagism": - Direct treatment of a thing, whether subjective or objective - To use no word that does not contribute to the presentation, no unnecessary metaphors - Rhythm: to follow a musical phrase rather than a metronome - Imagism is present in his poem "In a Station of the Metro" - crucial in promoting new voices, supported talent wherever he found it - helped William Butler Yeats modernize himself, while working as his secretary - Promoted the poetry of T. S. Eliot, because he thought that Eliot had „modernized himself on his own", helped Eliot edit his manuscripts of „The Waste Land", praised his "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", which made Eliot go back to writing poetry instead of studying to become a philosophy professor - Promoted the fiction of James Joyce, even provided money from his own resources - launched the career of Hilda Doolittle, whom he christened. He called her and her husband Richard Aldington "Les Imagistes." - helped Frost, Hemingway, e.e.cummings

In what sense was Margaret Fuller a prototypical feminist? Comment on the significance of her writing.

FEMINIST ICON - journalist, critique, women's rights advocate, teacher - the first woman to completely address equality between men and women in her text ''Woman in the Nineteenth Century'' (1843), marking the beginning of Feminism as a movement. - It investigated the role of women in society, equality in marriage and how they could play a greater role in society. - her writing had a significant impact on later women suffrage campaigners and women right - the first American to write a book on women's equality, and the first woman to be allowed access to Harvard's Library. - the first female foreign war correspondent and first to serve under combat conditions. - "The Great Lawsuit: MAN versus MEN; WOMAN versus WOMEN" (1843) - argument for sexual liberation, for men and women being freed from the social roles sex imposes on them.

In what sense did the poetry of Walt Whitman anticipate that of Allen Ginsberg? How did Ginsberg's poetry deviate from that of Whitman?

Ginsberg: - extremely inspired by Whitman. - used stylistic devices that Whitman invented - free verse, no rhymes, rhythm, anaphora, epiphoras, repetition. - he was inspired by Whitman's text "Song of Myself", where shows Americans as a grass: they are individuals, but they create a wonderful society - Ginsberg on the contrary wrote a text "Howl", where he showed how young Americans are destroyed and battered by wars, depression, sex, drugs and alcohol Both: - rejected traditional language - highly individual - writing about taboo topics - transcendentalists - revealing the stream of consciousness while writing. - made a diagnosis about America (Whitman's was positive, while Ginsberg's was negative)

How is realism practiced by Henry James different from realism developed in the fiction by Mark Twain?

Henry James: - psychological realist - realism is shown as an intensification of reality - fiction should be read for its craft. - creates a certain type of character early in the novel- this character will act in a consistent manner throughout the entire book. - The character will never do anything that is not logical and acceptable to his realistic nature. - We are always able logically to understand all the actions of any character. - James explained his own realism in terms of its opposition to romanticism. Mark Twain: - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an example of a form of realism known as regionalism. - American regionalism's focus on "local color". - Setting is paramount in regionalism, as the story often takes place in a remote or rural location and the environment acts as a character itself, enabling the writer to explore the characters' relationship to civilization and the wilderness.

Comment on the significance of journalism for the development of 19th century fiction and poetry. Name at least two writers/ poets whose literary career was indebted to their journalistic experience.

Journalism was important in development of fiction and poetry because: - allowed the poetry to be published in newspapers = "'newspaper poetry" (common feature of 19th century American literary culture) Newspaper: - it played a significance role in daily life - universal - a platform for any kind of social, political and cultural life - able to shape the nation's political opinions - provide the readers with an update on cultural development - many aspiring poets and writers started out as journalists, hoping to gain necessary experience and future recognition for their literary works published in the newspapers. examples: 1. Walt Whitman - started his career in journalism - an editor for The Brooklyn Daily Eagle - author of "Song of Myself" 2. Edgar Allan Poe - an editor of numerous periodicals - used periodicals as his platform to exchange his thoughts on literature and criticism - had an analytical skill = he learned what readers want to read in a newspaper, and he wrote about this = popularity of newspaper grew quickly - wrote critical essays where he explained and logically applied his criteria. - His gothic tales of terror were inspired by stories read on the most popular magazines of the day. - Author of "Cask of Amontillado"

What were the main features of early postmodern fiction? Name its three major representatives. Why is it described as ruled by an ontological dominant?

MAIN FEATURES: - intertextuality - metafiction - self-reflexivity (historical and political issues) - paradoxes - dark humor - fragmentation - impossible plots - parody - paranoia - It is described as ruled by the ontological dominant, because the authors in this movement focused on: - the absurdity of the world - questions about it that are hard to answer - use of an objective reality and unrealistic backgrounds - Postmodernists described technology and science as instruments of power rather than objects of human progress - John Barth ("Night-Sea Journey) - Robert Coover ("The Babysitter") - Vladimir Nabokov ("Lolita")

How does Nathaniel Hawthorne define the romance as a genre? How does it differ from the sentimental or realist novel?

Nathaniel Hawthorne defined the romance as: - a neutral territory, somewhere between the real world and the fairyland where the Actual and the Imaginary may meet - romantic novel places primary focus on the relationship and romantic love, usually has a happy ending. Realist novels: - celebrated the emotional and intellectual concepts of sentimentalism and sensibility - puts a strong emphasis on a truthful presentation of the actual in fiction. - focused on pragmatism and the character presentation - the characters were rooted in particular social classes and were very complex (their motives were mixed). - emotions and its purpose-> to exploit the reader's capacity for tenderness

Discuss the characteristic features of oral Native American literature.

Native American literature= Indian literature= American Indian literature - traditional oral and written literature of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. - extensive set of folktales, myths, oral histories that were transmitted for centuries by storytellers and that live on in the language works of many contemporary American Indian writers. - good storyteller: novelty of the tale itself and imaginative skill of the narrator, who often added gestures and songs and occasionally adapted a particular tale to suit a certain culture. - characteristic feature of storytelling was the REPETITION- the story was easier to follow - Rhythm gained from repetition and an even greater dramatic effect was created. - The story depended so much on the narrator, there were many versions of every good tale. - SIMPLE vocabulary and grammar of the story- easier to understand for the listeners - UKNOWN AUTHOR, stories belonged to the whole tribe, they were collective - to be experienced together (the audience would engage together with the performer) - stories reflect the mode of survival (hunting, fishing) and stages of life (achievement of puberty, death) - these stories have no beginnings and no endings

How is the philosophy of realism different from that of naturalism? How is it reflected in the literary form and the represented themes of both traditions?

Realism: - an attempt to describe situations as they might actually occur, as opposed to romanticism which told stories that conformed to particular narrative conventions, appealed to emotions, and sometimes invoked the supernatural. - can be seen as a response to romanticism, which had previously been the dominant literary aesthetic - offered objective descriptions of real conditions with the hope of improving society - realistic characters and setting - comprehensive detail about everyday occurrences - plausible plot (a story that could happen in your town) - real dialects of the area - character development - importance in depicting social class - In Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", it's easy to see Twain's use of realism. - this tale is something that could have easily happened during the time period. - the novel captures the dialect of the time and examines the real-life events enfolding in that part of the country as Huck and Jim float down the Mississippi. Naturalism: - extreme form of realism - uses scientific objectivism - survival of the fittest - environment to mold and shape the characters - characters might be controlled by their environment or fight for their survival - focused on determinism, - focused on inability of human beings to resist the biological, social, and economic forces that dictated their behavior and their fate. - In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily", it's easy to see the natural forces at play. - Both society and heredity have cast Emily out. - While society causes Emily to be in isolation, her mental illness was killing and keeping her lover's body with her until her death.

David Thoreau has been described alternately as a naturalist, a practitioner of Emersonianism and the founder of the doctrine of civil disobedience. Please provide examples for these roles associated with him.

Thoreau: - naturalist - "to understand why we are on this stupid earth, we have to understand the nature in general and the fact that we are the nature, too" - "Walden" (1854): "I lived in the little home in the middle of nowhere, aka woods, for two damn years (1845-47), I was really into spirituality, so yeah" - "I absolutely love nature and describing it, because I have to kill the time in some way" - "I modified Transcendentalism by granting nature more reality than Emerson, because why not? This mother****er thinks he is irreplaceable" - "Walden" is a mix of philosophical treatise on labour, on leisure, self-reliance, and individualism but also as an influential piece of nature writing" - "I cultivate individual freedom in my life, I prefer it over the institutional control and enthusiasm above judgement, I am absolutely sick of this society" - "Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse" -"Walden" is optimistic! I am a happy man! - "Girl, live deliberately! Don't imitate others, you are special just as you are (individualism). - "You have the power to change your life!" - 1849's essay "Civil disobedience" - "I am so angry, I don't agree with this new stupid president James Polk. His opinion of the Mexican-American is are just unbelievable, and of the repatriation of slaves and the outlook on the government even more - opposing slavery and the Fugitive Slave Laws ("bloodhound laws"): "Of course I refused to pay poll tax, and yes, it was an act of passive civil disobedience, I don't have money, so **** off "

How was Nathaniel Hawthorne's and Herman Melville's philosophy of writing different from that of American Transcendentalism?

Transcendentalists: - wrote mostly essays. - spoke directly and clearly. - urged people to break free of the customs and traditions of the past and to listen to the spirit of God inside them. Emerson (a transcendentalist): - believed that when people recognize the truth which Jesus Christ understood, that God is in every man, they will learn to trust themselves. - emphasized the importance of self-trust Romantic writers: - wrote mostly fiction - not optimistic, spoke not directly, but ambiguously, created a dark vision of life. - focused on troubled minorities. - wanted to approach their readers through symbolism. Melville: - his fiction was not so pessimistic - his best work is laced with humor, but he is not especially optimistic. - In 'Moby Dick' - an entire chapter to listing all the possible meanings which the white whale might have for various people Hawthorne: - didn't share Emerson's idea of self-reliance - believed that egotism is sinful - In his stories sin means a state of separation (from people, from God, from oneself) - believed that everyone carries a share of evil in themselves. - In his stories he shows people who are corrupt, but true to themselves Hawthorne and Melville: - replaced traditional Christian symbols with their own, often turning Christian allegory on its head (water and fire, whiteness and darkness). - created an impression that they regard Christianity as a useless moral force but a valuable storehouse for their stories

How was the poetry of William Carlos Williams different from that of T.S. Eliot?

William Carlos Williams: - set himself to write poetry which would have its basis in the language spoken in everyday American life. - felt that poets like Eliot had "put poetry back in the classroom." - believed that poetry should not become so allusive and referential that it fails to echo direct - Came from a multicultural background - determined to absorb the new world, to capture the American vernacular in his verse, create a poetry distinctly American Eliot: -wanted to absorb the old world, eventually became a British citizen - more formal way of writing

Describe the role of and the controversy around sentimental fiction in the antebellum period. Comment on Charlotte Temple and Uncle Tom's Cabin.

antebellum period = plantation era - a period in the history of the Southern United States (late 18th- the start of the American Civil War in 1861) - marked by the economic growth of the region, largely due to its heavy reliance on slavery, and of its political influence on the U.S. federal government. - rise of abolition - gradual polarization of the country between abolitionists and supporters of slavery. - 18th century sentimental novels relied on emotional response from their readers and characters. - feature scenes of distress and tenderness - plot is arranged to advance both emotions and actions. - The result is a valorization of "fine feeling", displaying the characters as a model for refined, sensitive emotional effect. - The ability to display feelings was thought to show character and experience, and to shape social life and relations. - Sentimental authors often wrote against slavery as they believed in equality. - often associated with the abolitionist movement, as it promoted humanism and the heightened value of human life. 1. Susanna Rowson's "Charlotte Temple" - sentimental novel, the first bestseller in the USA - The author = the first woman geographer and supporter of female education - she wrote against slavery. - a story about schoolgirl, Charlotte, seduced by a British officer, brought to USA, left abandoned, sick, in poverty 1. Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" - sentimental novel - tackles anti-slavery themes and is said to have "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War". - It portraits Tom, a black slave, as virtuous, humble and intelligent person.

Describe the significance of William Faulkner and Francis Scott Fitzgerald for American modernist fiction.

modernist fiction: - characterized by a use of language that mimics thought - eliminating conventional grammar and formal sentence structure in favor of more "organic" and creative modes - Faulkner and Fitzgerald were both war veterans. Faulkner: - dark vision of the South and modern man, expressed through tortuous prose, erratic, difficult to follow, full of associations, conjectures, and conflicting viewpoints combined with elements of detective fiction and Gothic romance to heighten the horror and violence - His works are significant achievements in themselves, but viewed as a whole his fiction is an extraordinary story of a region and people, a profound examination of the dilemmas and moral choices faced by man - famous for using unreliable narrators and experimenting with the stream of consciousness narration Scott Fitzgerald: - described the generation of the 1920s as "a new generation, grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken..." (traumatic experience of the First World War)