American Literature Vocabulary Set 10: Regionalism and Naturalism/Mark Twain

rapt

(adj.) deeply moved, delighted or absorbed

gullible

(adj.) easily deceived or tricked

unassailable

(adj.) impossible to dispute or disprove

implacable

(adj.) impossible to satisfy

nettled

(adj.) irritated; annoyed

minutest

(adj.) smallest; most precise

multifariously

(adv.) in many and various ways

fortnight

(n.) 14 days

Have-nots

(n.) Economically disadvantaged people. During Gilded Age, specifically Native Americans, African Americans, immigrants, farmers and factory workers

Reconstruction

(n.) Period (1865-77) following Civil War during which attempts were made to redress the inequities of slavery and its political, social, and economic legacy and to solve the problems of readmission to the Union of the 11 seceding states.

Gilded Age

(n.) era of US history toward end of 1800s marked by rapid economic growth; influx of European immigrants; rapid expansion of industrialization; extreme wealth for a few; extreme poverty and inequality for many.

local color

(n.) fiction and poetry that focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region.

laissez-faire

(n.) governmental policy that suggested that business should not be regulated because the law of nature would ensure success for the "fittest" and deserved failure for everyone else

mesmerizer

(n.) hypnotist

credulity

(n.) inclination to believe too readily. Gullibility.

regionalism

(n.) literary movement that tried to capture the customs, character and landscapes of the distinct regions of the US

naturalism

(n.) literary movement that valued depiction of common people and ordinary life, but emphasized the ways that instinct and environment affect human behavior, and that the fate of humans is determined by forces beyond individual control.

progressivism

(n.) political and philosophical movement that saw social change as possible and necessary, and believed it was the job of the government to make laws to protect people

epigram

(n.) short, clever remark that expresses an idea (sometimes a paradox) in an amusing way

embalming

(v.) preserving