American Lit. Final Exam (2023)

Realism characteristics

- events will usually be believable - avoid sensational and dramatic elements - diction is natural vernacular, not heightened or poetic; tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact - included voices from the Midwest, the South, and the West (Twain, Chopin, and Harte) - objectivity in presentation becomes increasing important - interior psychological is one variation - focus on verisimilitude - "The redemption of the individual lay within the social world"

"the brute within"

- naturalism term for the notion that everyone has "strong and warring emotions" that can lead to taboo behavior - each individual who fights for survival in an amoral, indifferent universe; conflict is often man vs. nature and man vs. himself

Emile Zola

- the founder of naturalism - used the term "human beasts" to describe how we can examine humans through their relationships to their surroundings

Bret Harte

- was a Realism writer - wrote "The outcasts of Poker Flats" - Born & raised in NYC - Got first taste of the "west" at 18 in mining camp - Harte forced to leave b/c of death threats over his article about the attack - his news story of the massacre of a tribe of Native Americans caused him to be banished - Served as editor for Mark Twain - National fame came with his short stories - 1885 retired to live in England (never came back to US)

William Dean Howells

- was a Realism writer - wrote "Editha" - Best known as an editor and critic - Important in popularizing Mark Twain & Henry James etc. - Major proponent of the movement of Realism and argued-"for the value of that approach over the popular approach of Romanticism." - First president of The American Academy of Arts(1908) - wrote with a strong sense of social issues and in his work focused on progressive attitudes toward race, labor, and women.

Ambrose Bierce

- was a naturalist writer - wrote "an occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" - Grew up in Indiana - Left home at 15 for odd jobs - Joined the civil war - Fulltime reporter and writer - Next 40 years spent as a columnist in San Francisco - Known for short war stories (famous: The Devil's Dictionary) - 1913 he went to Mexico for war but was never heard from since then

Stephen Crane

- was a naturalist writer - wrote "the Blue Hotel" - born and raised in New Jersey - dropped out of college to pursue a career as a journalist - produced many novels, poetry, and short stories - first novel (Maggie: A Girl of the Streets) - second very popular novel (The Red Badge of Courage) - went to England but returned to report the Spanish-American War - died of tuberculosis at the age of 28

Mark Twain

- was a realism writer - wrote "two ways of seeing a river" - Born Florida, MO, grew up on the M river - Became an apprentice steamboat pilot in 1857 - Served for 4 weeks in Confederate unit war - Went back to newspaper business - " The innocent abroad" made him famous - Because of all his business he was in debt(tried to pay it off with lectures) - Personal tragedies showed in his pessimistic tone in his work later on

The "rest cure"

- was a strictly enforced regime of six to eight weeks of bed rest and isolation, without any creative or intellectual activity or stimulation - it was often accompanied by massage and electrotherapy, as well as a fatty diet, rich in milk and meat

"human beasts"

naturalist term that describes how we can examine humans through their relationships to their surroundings

products of their environment

people are simply "____________ ____ _______ _______________" and heredity. Studying people as this is, by extension, socially critical

Women's Suffrage

right to vote, won in 1920

Naturalism themes

survival, determinism, violence, and taboo

Irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Rhyme scheme

the pattern of rhyme in a poem

scientific and impartial

the study of human beings should be ____________ and _____________ without moralizing

Claude McKay

was a poet; born in Jamaica; moved to US to attend college where he became interested in political and social themes; became interested in Communism; specialized in sonnets to show that African Americans could do the same as whites; he became disillusioned with Communism and converted to Catholicism; published; fought against racism

Ernest Hemingway

was a sportsman; joined Italian army after rejected from US Army; was injured which led to a long recovery and provided material for his novel A Farewell to Arms; In US he worked as a newspaper reporter; among the most popular writers in his generation; in the end he suffered from depression and committed suicide

The Great Gatsby

was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald; dark underside: race, gender problems, region attitudes, and cultural dimensions that weren't seen; main character Jay Gatsby was trying to achieve the American Dream by making money through illegal ways and getting the girl (Daisy); "old money" vs. "new money"

James Truslow Adams

who coined the expression "the American Dream"

Allen Ginsberg

wrote "A Supermarket in California" and "Homework"; parents are Jewish; grew up with political perspectives; beats movement (authors who explored and influenced American culture post-war); published many collections of poetry; was awarded many things; died of hepatitis

Bernard Malamud

wrote "Angel Levine"; considered one of the most prominent figures in Jewish American literature; parents immigrated from Russia and were not highly educated (knew little about literature or the arts); like to attend a local Yiddish theater; began to write stories of his own; got a bachelor's degree; Malamud did not begin writing seriously until hearing of the horrors of the Holocaust; taught at Oregon State University and Bennington College; first novel: "The Natural"

Anne Sexton

wrote "Her Kind", "The Golden Key", and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" (poem); One of the most popular poets of mid-20th century America; attended a boarding school where she first started writing poetry; Married to Alfred Mueller Sexton II (had 2 daughters); First two books published: To Bedlam and Part Way Back 1960 and All My Pretty Ones 1962; elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in London; won the 1967 Pulitzer Prize in poetry for her third collection; published 9 volumes of poetry in total; authored children's books; received many literary prizes

Ralph Ellison

wrote "King of the Bingo Game"; studied music at Tuskegee institute; Richard Wright encouraged him to write; 1937 he began writing short stories, reviews, and essays; Worked on federal writer's project; Served in WWII; won eminence with his first novel, Invisible Man; other black novelists complained about his works; He lectured widely on Black culture, folklore, and creative writing and taught at various American colleges and universities

Louise Erdrich

wrote "Matchimanito"; born in Little Falls, Minnesota; published of two books of poems; has received ample recognition for the quality for her work

Toni Morrison

wrote "Sweetness"; parents moved North to escape southern racism; both sides of her family were immigrants and sharecroppers; spent her childhood in the Midwest; read avidly; father told her folktales of the black community; went to Howard University; she later taught in the English department at Howard; married Harold Morrison (had 2 children); first novel: "The Bluest Eyes"; became the first black woman ever to hold a chair at an Ivy League school; won many awards for her works; her writings concentrate on rural Afro-American communities and on their cultural inheritance; she does not use whites for main characters

Alice Hoffman

wrote "The Witch of Truro"; Children's writer (Practical Magic); Magic, irony, non-standard romance; Bachelor of arts; Master of arts in creative writing at Stanford

F. Scott Fitzgerald

wrote The Great Gatsby; born into a wealthy family, enrolled in Princeton but never graduated; dropped out of school and joined the war during WWI; Zelda is his wife; had a daughter; struggled with alcoholism; his married suffered from his dependence on alcohol; his wife was jealous of his career

The Personal

Greater emphasis on the self and the artist's personal experience; Confessional poetry (Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, John Berryman)

modernism

High _____________ took place from 1915-1945, between the two world wars

Huck Finn excerpt

Huck is a 14-year-old barely literate boy, who lives in a society that doesn't make any sense to him. He follows his own conscience and goes against society and church teachings. He fakes his own death to escape his abusive, drunken father. He encounters a runaway slave named Jim, and the two embark on a raft journey down the Mississippi River. Huck thinks he is going to hell for helping the slave (doing the right thing) which is irony throughout the passage.

William Carlos Williams

Imagist poet and physician; "no ideas but in things"; both poet and doctor; was important to the imagist movement; sought to invent a entirely fresh poetic, whose subject matter was centered on the everyday circumstances of life and the lives of common people; he was said to be "too attached to European culture and traditions"

Regional Realism

Literature that is fiction and poetry that focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region; examples of these type of writers are Twain (midwest), Chopin (south), and Harte (west).

"The Diary of Adam and Eve"

Mark Twain work written in diary form; excerpts from both Adam and Even describing their adventures, thoughts, and perceptions of one another. Biblical depiction showing what life in the Garden of Eden may have been life for a more modern culture and Twain showcases his humor and whit throughout the story

The Great Migration

Movement of African Americans from the South to the North for jobs; African Americans moved to the cities of the north to work in war-related industries

"The Story of an Hour"

Mrs. Mallard finds out her husband died in a recent mining accident. She starts to repeat the word "free" because her husband was not very good to her and she doesn't believe in marriage. She has a heart disease and when she saw that her husband is actually alive she had a heart attack. She was very shocked and disappointed when he came back because she was making plans for a new beginning.

The Jazz Age

Name for the 1920s, because of the popularity of jazz-a new type of American music that combined African rhythms, blues, and ragtime; this name was coined by Fitzgerald

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate sympathizer, is condemned to die by hanging. He daydreams his fantastic escape (getting all the way home alive to his wife), only to die. A Northern scout in disguise as a Confederate soldier tricked Farquhar into thinking that he should try to blow up the bridge. He never actually does it but gets caught trying to do it and is hanged.

survival of the fittest

Process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called natural selection

Booker T. Washington

Prominent black American, born into slavery, who believed that racism would end once blacks acquired useful labor skills and proved their economic value to society, was head of the Tuskegee Institute in 1881. His book "Up from Slavery."

The Lost Generation

The post WWI generation was called this; Group of writers in 1920s who shared the belief that they were lost in a greedy, materialistic world that lacked moral values and often choose to flee to Europe

Dramatic monologue

a poem in the form of a speech or narrative by an imagined person, in which the speaker inadvertently reveals aspects of their character while describing a particular situation or series of events; ex: "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

Communism

a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs

Intertextuality

a reference or parallel to another literary work, or an adoption or parody of style; often takes the form of revisionism, especially with regard to fairy tales (Anne Sexton's Transformations); play on connections across literary history and create conversations between past and present texts

Hemingway Hero

a reserved, enduring, courageous protagonst that fights against a chaotic, painful world, ultimately dying bravely and alone (read over the characteristics page)

Rhetorical situation

a situation in which people's understanding can be changed through messages

Marxism

a social, economic and political philosophy that analyses the impact of the ruling class on the laborers, leading to uneven distribution of wealth and privileges in the society

Nihilism

a total rejection of established laws; the belief that for an individual to feel whole and revitalize himself and society, he or she needed to be free of all the baggage of hypocrisy; denial or doubt of all systems of belief

Dark Humor

a type of humor that makes fun of topics normally considered serious; is used as a method of social criticism

Sonnet

a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme

Determinism

all moral choices are completely determined by previously existing causes. This precludes free will because it says humans cannot act otherwise.

Minimalism

an attitude of doing only the least; Hemingway saw power in holding back, building tension in a story through keeping emotions unspoken; no words are wasted, but emotion and tension are built up in the silences

laissez-faire capitalism

an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit with minimal or no government interference

NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

association that builds black political power to end structural racism

Gertrude Stein

coined the term "Lost Generation"

T.S. Eliot

considered by most literary critics and historians to be the most important poet of the 20th century; Ezra Pound was his mentor who helped with the publication of his poetry; was certainly an influence on the Imagist group although sometimes not included as an official member; includes obscure allusions and phrases in various languages in his poetry

The Realism War

debates over the suitability of realism as a mode of representation led to this critical exchange; Regional Realist vs. "The Genteel Tradition"; literary hub of the US had always been the East Coast and was shifting to include other regions of the US

modernism techniques

experimental and creative, stream of consciousness, free verse

Marx

founder of modern communism; Marxism; German philosopher, journalist, historian...;Created the term Marxism; Ex. Things Fall Apart à constant class struggles

Modernism Characteristics

individualism, experimentation, absurdity, symbolism, and formalism

Primitivism

is a movement from mimesis (the attempt to represent nature, people, and society in a literal sense); is known for its simplification and abstraction of form; not representation but simplicity; ex: Picasso's cubism inspired by African masks; artistic inspiration rejected European models in favor of older "primitive" cultures (Africa, Asia, the Americans, and Oceania)

American Exceptionalism

is an ideology holding the United States as unique among nations in positive or negative connotations, with respect to its ideas of democracy and personal freedom; (American = "New Eden")

Ezra Pound

most influential and best critic in England and America; poet and his poetry focused on precise language and a move away from sentimentality (Imagist); supported Italy in the war and after was tried for treason and found guilty; was put in a mental hospital and was released; then died in 1972

Langston Hughes

most recognizable figure of the Harlem Renaissance; was a poet, novelist, playwriter, etc.; one of the most prolific writers in American history; born in Joplin, MO; combined the rhythms and language of the blues and jazz; wrote many different literary works; used humor to get across serious themes

Amy Lowell

"publicity agent" for the Imagist movement; poet; first collection of poetry was published in 1912; also a successful business woman, particularly in publishing

World War I

(1914 - 1918) European World War, Allies v. Central Powers; created a sense that everything European and traditional was morally bankrupt and hypocritical; people were more critical

Exclusionary Immigrant Acts

(1924) limited the number of immigrants allowed into the United States through a national origins quota; radically curtailing the flow of immigrants into the country

World War II

(1939 - 1945) A war fought in Europe, Africa and Asia between the Allied Powers of Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States against the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Mitchell Weir

- American physician - Father of medical neurology

Social Darwinism

- The application of ideas about evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies - particularly as a justification for their imperialist expansion. - The belief that only the fittest survive in human political and economic struggle.

Kate Chopin

- Was a Realism writer - wrote "The Story of an Hour" - Born in STL; mother French, dad Irish - Father died at 5, at 13 lost her grandmother, teenage years spent in divided civil war STL. - Had a strong relationship with the nuns at the Academy of the Sacred Heart & The Academy of the Visitation (Viz) - Had six children after a couple of years husband died and left her with kids - Influenced by Guy de Maupassant published STL post dispatch - First novel "At Fault" - Famous novel "The Awakening" was controversial that time - Died 1904

Naturalism characteristics

- characters are ill-educated or lower class - characters' attempts at exercising free will or choice are hampered by forces beyond their control - Social Darwinism: scientific theories applied to human beings who were at the mercy of 19th century economics (laissez-faire capitalism/factory owners could do whatever they wanted without limits -- labor laws were not in place yet.)

Realism Characteristics

- characters are more important than action and plot - characters appear in who their real complexity of temperament and motive - class is important

Realism themes

- detailed portrayal of the world as it is - Characters are natural in their interactions with one another, as well as their general behavior - natural speech patterns - Plausible events and choices - Complex ethical decisions - Characters' well-being socially and economically is at stake - Emphasis on what is true

Socialism

A system in which society, usually in the form of the government, owns and controls the means of production; during modernism there was an influence on these ideas to combat the economic inequality of the laissez-faire capitalism of the late 19th century

Genteel tradition

A term used to describe literature that pandered to the polite, refined, and delicate elements of society.

The Objective Correlative

T.S Eliot's concept stating that "a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion"; ex: "I measured out my life in coffee spoons"; repeated action that is symbolic of something

Existentialism

a philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will.

The Imagist Manifesto

1. To use the language of common speech, but to employ the exact word, not the nearly-exact, nor the merely decorative word. (mot juste = exact word in French) 2. We believe that the individuality of a poet may often be better expressed in free verse than in conventional forms. In poetry, a new cadence means a new idea. 3. Absolute freedom in the choice of subject. 4. To present an image. We are not a school of painters, but we believe that poetry should render particulars exactly and not deal in vague generalities, however magnificent and sonorous. It is for this reason that we oppose the cosmic poet, who seems to us to shirk the real difficulties of his art. 5. To produce a poetry that is hard and clear, never blurred nor indefinite. 6. Finally, most of us believe that concentration is of the very essence of poetry.

Confessional Poetry

1950s and 1960s. It has been described as poetry "of the personal". The content of confessional poems is autobiographical and marked by its exploration of subject matter that was considered taboo at the time. This subject matter included topics like mental illness, sexuality, and suicide. The school of poetry that became known as this was associated with several poets in the 1950s, including Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, and John Berryman

W.E.B. DuBois

1st black to earn Ph.D. from Harvard; encouraged blacks to resist systems of segregation and discrimination; helped create NAACP in 1910; opposed Booker T. Washington.

The Harlem Renaissance

A literary and artistic movement celebrating African-American culture

Social criticism

A piece of writing or speech that critiques a social institution and seeks a change in current action or policy

Civil War

A war between people of the same country. American war fought between the Union and the Confederacy. (1861-1865)

The Playful Artist

All authority is suspect, including the authority of the author; acknowledgement of the artist's (and the individual's) powerlessness

Surrealism

An artistic movement that displayed vivid dream worlds and fantastic unreal images

class warfare

Conflict between different classes in a community resulting from different social or economic positions and reflecting opposed interests

Darwin

English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)

The Iceberg Theory

Ernest Hemingway's theory that for every 1/8 of the story that shows, 7/8 are beneath the surface

Imagism

a movement in poetry, part of Modernism; generally free verse and focus on finding the exact word to convey an image to the reader; strict emphasis on image and precision; believed that concrete language in poetry was enough to express ideas without excessive use of abstract words

"The Outcasts of Poker Flat"

In this story the town decides who are the undesirables or bad of the community and either hangs them or kicks them out of the town. Mr. Oakhurst along with mother Shipton, Duchess, and Uncle Bill are thrown out of town. They try to voyage to the next town but decide to stop for the night even though Oakhurst thinks its a bad idea. Newcomers named Tom Simpson and Piney find the banished group and offer them a beat up cabin and food to stay at. They discover snow when they wake up and that Uncle Billy, the cargo, and mules were gone. The rest of the outcasts are all stuck. Snow keeps coming and food supplies begin to dwindle. Mother Shipton gives her rations to Piney and dies of starvation. Simson is sent out to go try to find someone to help them and Oakhurst accompanies him part of the way. Duchess and Piney die in each other's arms. Oakhurst's shots himself in the heart and dies. Main message: how a bad person can be good

"Two Ways of Seeing a River"

The account of young Mark Twain learning to piolet a steamboat on the Mississippi River. His changing attitude in the account is shown by his love of the river at first. But once he gains knowledge and life experiences, he begins to take the beauty of the river for granted and loses his love for it.

"The Blue Hotel"

The story begins with Pat the proprietor of the hotel getting three people to follow him there, a Swede, an Easterner, and a cowboy. They meet Johnnie, Pat's son, and a grizzled farmer playing cards in front of the fire. The new guests soon join them. Then the Swede asks how many men have been killed in the room. The Swede is convinced that the men are banding together to kill him. He tries to leave but Pat gives him whiskey and there is a blizzard outside so he can't. Then, the Swede accuses Johnnie of cheating, which was a serious accusation at that time in history. They go and fight out in the blizzard and the Swede defeats Jonnie. The Swede goes to the bar and asks for someone to drink with him but everyone refuses. The gambler stabs the Swede and leaves him on the floor dead. The Easterner says that the gambler got three years for murdering the Swede. The Easterner knew Johnnie was cheating and they blame the bartender for not stopping the fight.

"Editha"

The story of a lady named Editha who constantly tries to get her husband to go to war. She thinks that the man that she married needs to be a hero for his country. Eventually her husband, George, decides to go to war and dies in battle. Many people are mad at Editha, like George's mother, for making him go to war. Editha feels guilty for a little bit because of what she did but then she "began to live again in the ideal".

"The Yellow Wallpaper"

The story starts with the narrator and her husband, John, moving to an estate for the summer because John her husband and doctor says the move will help the narrator overcome her "illness", which she explains as nervous depression, or nervousness, following the birth of their baby. John discourages her wonder and dismisses her interests. She eventually moves into a room with ugly, yellow wallpaper. The narrator is seemingly driven insane by the yellow wallpaper; she sleeps all day and stays up all night to stare at it, believing that it comes alive. She begins to believe there is a woman in the wallpaper. She locks her self in the room and when John finally breaks in he faints because of his wife's mental state.

The American Dream

This idea becomes popular; "a dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity according to ability or achievement. (James Adams)"

Georgia Douglas Johnson

a member of the Harlem Renaissance; poet (wrote: The Heat of a Woman); published her first poems in 1916 in the NAACP's magazine Crisis; traveled widely to give poetry readings

versimilitude

a literary technique practiced in many schools of writing which can be defined as a "Slice of Life" quality in fiction

Allusion

briefly and indirectly references a literary work to the reader or author; an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.