American Literature stuff
Topic N3:
Referring to their writings, discuss the political, religious, and social vies of America’s Founding Fathers Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin and discuss views about fledgling America expressed in the writing of Michel-Guillaume de Crevecoeur.
Benjamin Franklin grows up in a big, hard-working family. His career begins with with writing for a newspaper, owned by his brother.
Benjamin Franklin is keen on Reneissance art. He is a founder of a philosophical circle.
Franklin writes his autobiography in 3 parts.
He is honoured as one of the greatest American scientists(polymath). He founded the first hospital in Phildelphia.
Another important thing about him is that he helped with the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Paine, the so called “voice of the American revolution” is famous for his negotiations with French revolutioners. He believes that there should be equality among everyone. He thinks that each person – poor or rich – deserves God’s love.
Thomas Jefferson also speaks of justice and equl rights. He spreads the idea of religious freedon. He was very active person, good architext and engineer.
Thomas Jefferson, such as Benjamin Franklin, has respect for the individual’s personality so he sets his slaves freee. He was the one who wrote the Declaration of Independence.
As a conclusion, we can say that founding fathers fight for equal rights among social classes and respectful attitude.
Michel- Guillaume de Crevecoeur’s work “Letters from an American Farmer”also support some of these ideas. It contains 12 letters, each of which presenting different side of American reality. The lesson that the story gives is that the society is capable of self destruction or recreation. There is always a choice. If people support each other and maintain the peace, everything should be fine. The author tries to make it clear that the fate of our world is in our own hands. We’d be better if we cooperate and keep each other. That’s the real way of development.
TOPIC N9: Discuss the rise of American realism, defining and giving eamples from local-color realism, as practiced by writers such s Sarah orne Jewett and Kate Chopin, and the genteel psychological, transatlantic realism of Henry James and Edith Wharton. Also, compare and contrast these variesties of realism.
In the realistic works main place is reserved for the character. The inner world of the human becomes very important. Individual’s life is described in detail. Characters are more important thatn the plot.
Realism is, in some way, opposite to the Romanticism, because in the Realism the things are shown exactly the way they are. Realists are pragmatic, rather than emotional. The philosphy of that period is descendental. Relation between society and people is explored.
William Dean Howells was spreading realistic ideas, during 19th century. He was very powerful person. Many things depended on his will. One of the most remarkable words that comes to mind when we speack about American realistic literature is “The pit”As a matter of fact, it is part of a trilogy written by Frank Norris. In that trilogy is traced the development of wheat industry from the very beginning to the most prosperous moments. The story is realistic, because it shows life of the different social classess the way it really is. The reader can see the ugly face of the poverty and greed the hunger of money, the struggles of the little people to survive, while big fishes manage to succeed as spectators who seemed to have sold their souls to the Devil.
Realism could be painful sometimes, but it reveals true facts about life. Realism gives clear view of the things, that’s why we need to have a sense of it in the right situations.
The Mysterious stranger and The rich boy.
There are couple main differences between Twain’s novel and Fitzgerald’s work. The first thing is the style in which they are written. The Mysterious Stranger is created during 19th century, while The rich Boy shows up in the 20th. It is typical morenistic work. We can conclude that rom the descriptions of the places and the characters, their actions and conversations.
“The mysterious stranger”The author implies the idea of right and wrong, moral. That can’t be seen in Rich Boy where the main character’s lifestyle involves drinking, meaninglesss meetings with different girls and lack of real, warm feelings.
Other differences between the two works are the places where the action takes place. In Twain’s novel characters travel all around the World with Satan’s heep, they could even reach the moon, while in the Rich Boy centre of the action is the city. While Auson belongs to New York and feels comfortable there, Theodor, Seppi and Nikolaus enjoy walking in valleys with forrests and anywhere with open air.
Other differences that could be mentioned are relatied with the theme of Friendship. In “The mysterious Stranger”when Theodor and Seppi find out that Nikolaus will die soon they do everything possible to make him feel happy during alll the day he has left. They really love him and care about him. In controversy, in “The rich boy at one moment Anson finds himself alone and insignificant for the others. He has no one to call.
Twain’s work characters always have something new to learn, while in The rich boy, Anson seem to stack at one place. The only thing that develops is his career but his personal life is tragical.
The thing that the two works have in common is that thair endings are open.
TOPIC N8:Discuss nineteenth-century American poetry, giving examples from the work of the following poets: Philip Freneau, William Cullen Bryant, Edgar Allen Poe, Sidney Lanier, John Greenleaf Whittier, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Walt Witman and Emily Dickinson
Freneau’s reputation as “The Poet of the Revolution”proved mixed blessing. His poems and essays were considered interested only as long as their subject matter remained in the national spotlight; his work was quickly forgotten once independence was won and the struggle to establish a new government was resolved. In terms of style Freneau’s poetry is at the point of transition between neoclassicism and Romaticism. Some critics suggest that Freneau’s poetry about the sea anticipates the one of Lord Byron and Herman Melville, while his poem “The House of Night”andticipates the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. Critical assessment of such Romantic poems such as “The Hurricane”miss the fact that Freneau’s other works reflect a very old classical tradition the “ship of state’poem. Some other critics suggest that Freneau’s work was outdated even during his lifetime because it was political rather than personal. One of Freneau’s most political poem “The British Prison Ship”has drawn a great deal of critical attention. The events that inspired the poem a turning point in Freneau’s life and career. Not only did Freneau’s political philosophy change considerably from a rather passive observers of the American Revolution to a supporter of it but his personal view of the world was altered. The optimism and idealism that characterized his early work was replaced by illusionment, even bitterness.
One of Freneau’s major concerns was the British cultural dominance over America, and he is considered the first American poet to reverse this trend in literature.
But Freneau managed to find his own voice at times and wrote some of the finest most timeless poems in American literature.
William C. Bryant
Bryant’s colloquial voice and celebration of nature were hailed as poetic innovations upon publication of his debut collection “Poems” and confirmed his reputation as the most eminent American poet of the day. His status generally went unquestioned until the middle of the 19th century, when some critics began to observe that his lyrics lacked flexibility and depth of subject and theme’; that his versification failed to display poetic virtuosity and breath of conception; and that his poetri railed too much on didactic endings and lacked passion. He was being reduced to a poet of historical significance. Bryant’s early poems represent his best work, critical assessment of his work has declined considerably in the 20th century and is largely limited to debates about whether Bryant’s poetic sensibilities are more Puritan or Romantic.
Sydney Lanier
Lanier was considered a noteworthy post Civil War southern writer – probably based on his artistic dedication and earnestness that on his literary chievments. Later 20th century critics agree that Lanier was a significant if figure in post-Civil War literature of the American South
John Greenleaf Whittier
His early critics expressed admiration for the emotional impact and effectiveness of his verse but pointed to numerous technical flaws such as clumsy prose and faulty rhyme schemes; of Whittier’s boldness and sincerity, yet never considered him a first-rate poet. Similarly, Edgar Allen Poe called Whittier a “fine versifier” but would not include his name in the ranks of premier American poets. Whittier was popular and respected writer, the overwhelming popularity of his poem “Snow Bound”marked the beginning of the second phase of critical reaction, which lasted until 1920′s . During this period Whittier was esteemed as one of America’s most admired literary figures. His personal life, described as saintly and and become inseparable from the evaluation of his work. His death prompted an outpouring of loving remembrances. Attitudes towards Whitier’s poetry changed when critics took him as to task for being overly moralistic reformer; a paradoxical blend of success and failure’ and maintain that he should be remembered as a significant historical figure rather than for his contributions to literature. His early works survive as historical documents that represent an era in America’s history, but a few of his best loved pieces such as “Snow Bound”, endure as nostalgic.
Henry W. Longfellow
Longfellow’s later poetry reflects his interest in establishing an American mythology. His other works include “The Courthship of Miles Standish”. “Tales of a Wayside Inn and “Christus – a Mystery”, a trilogy dealing with Christianity from its beginning, which was intended to Logdellow’s masterpiece
Walt Whitman.
In New York, Whitman witnessed the rapid growth of the city and wanted to write a new kind of poetry in tune with mankind’s new faith, hopeful expectations and energy. A theme in “Song of Myself “is suffering and death. The edition of “Leaves of Grass”was about the writer himself . In 1855 appeared “The song of Hiawatha”- another great American epic. The edition of Leaves of Grass was greeted with warm appreciation, although at first his work was not very popular. Ralph W. Emerson was among his early admirers. “Leaves of Grass”also include a group of poems entitled “Calamus, which has been taken as a reflection of the poet’s homosexuality, although according to Whitman they celebrated “the beautiful and sane affection of man for man. According to some sources, Whitman had only one abortive attempt at sexual relationship presumably homosexual with a young soldier whose leg was amputated. Whitman’s letter to Doyle were published in 1897 under the title “Calamus”In England Whitman’s work was better received among his admirerers were Alfred Tennyson and Dante Gabriel Roseth. Whitman transcended the self and self and spoke for the mass to bridge the nations.
Emily Dickinson
Later feminist critics have challenged the popular conception of the poet as a reclusive, eccentric figure and underlined struggle and passive aggressiveness. Her verse is full of allusions to volcanoes, shipwrecks, funerals and human violence, which she hide into her writings. Plain and extreme psychic feelings were among her central themes; she may have been epileptic. Dickinson read poetry voraciously. She spoke of the soul or souls in her poems. Soul was for her a lost boat, and internal lamp, a storm within, an emperor. “The soul into itself is an imperial friend / or the most agonizing spy/ an enemy could send. She wrote genious poetry of nature, love, loss and grief.
TOPIC 6: Compare and contrast the fiction of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville, giving specific examples from their short stories and novels.
