rcises for American Literature (I) - Chapter 2.doc

Exercises for American Literature (I) - Chapter 2Chapter 2 The Realistic PeriodA. Each of the statements below is followed by four alternative answers. Choose the one that would best complete the statement and put the letter in the brackets.1. The three dominant figures of the American Realistic Period are William Dean Howells, Mark Twain, and _.A. Emily Dickinson B. Henry JamesC. Theodore Dreiser D. Ezra Pound2. _is called by Hemingway the one from which all modern American literature comes.”A. The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnB. The Adventures of Tom SawyerC. The Gilded AgeD. Life on the Mississippi3. _, in his McTeague, describes the relations of a crude dentist, who is compared to a draft-horse, a dog, a bear, with a superficially refined German-American girl. A. Theodore Dreiser B. Frank NorrisC. Henry James D. Mark Twain4. Theodore Dreisers forgiving treatment of the career of his heroine in _ also draws heavily upon the naturalistic understanding of sexuality.A. McTeague B. An American TragedyC. Sister Carrie D. The Genius5. _is a great giant of American, whom H. L. Mencken considers the true father of our national literature.” A. Henry James B. Washington IrvingC. Mark Twain D. Theodore Dreiser6. _is an account of American tourists in Europe which pokes fun at the pretentious, decadent and undemocratic Old World in a satirical tone.A. The Adventures of Tom SawyerB. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs CourtC. Innocents AbroadD. Roughing It7. _is usually regarded as a classic book written for boys about their particular horrors and joys.A. The Adventures of Tom SawyerB. The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnC. Innocents AbroadD. Life on the Mississippi8. _explores the scrupulous individualism in a world of fantastic speculation and unstable values, and gives its name to the get-rich-quick years of the post-Civil War era. A. Innocents Abroad B. The Gilded AgeC. Roughing It D. The Middle Years9. _is described by Mark Twain as a boy with a sound heart and a deformed conscience. A. Tom Sawyer B. Huckleberry FinnC. Jim D. Tony10. _was the first American writer to conceive his career in international terms.A. Washington Irving B. T. S. EliotC. Ezra Pound D. Henry James11. _, a novella about a young American girl who gets killed by the winter in Rome, brought its author international fame for the first time. A. The American B. Daisy MillerC. The Portrait of a Lady D. The Europeans12. _ is considered to be Theodore Dreisers greatest work.A. An American Tragedy B. Sister CarrieC. The Financier D. The TitanB. Complete each of the following statements with a proper word or a phrase according to the textbook.1. As a genre, naturalism emphasizes _ heredity_and _environment _as important deterministic forces shaping individualized characters who are presented in special and detailed circumstances.2. Henry James is generally regarded as the _forerunner_of the 20th century stream-of-consciousness novels and the _founder_ of psychological realism.3. The American tells a story about a young and innocent American confronting the complexity of the _ European_ life.4. With the publication of The Man That Corrupted Hadleybury and The Mysterious Stranger, the change in Mark Twain from an _ to an almost despairing _ can be felt.5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is usually regarded as a boys book specially written for the_.6. The impact of Darwins evolutionary theory on the American thought and the influence of the 19th century _ literature on the American men of letters gave rise to American Naturalism.7. One of the most familiar themes in American Naturalism is the theme of human _. 8. While Mark Twain seems to have paid more attention to the life of the Americans, Henry James has apparently laid a greater emphasis on the _ of man.9. The American naturalists accepted the more _implications of Darwins evolutionary theory.10. Artistically naturalistic writings are usually unpolished in _, lacking in academic skills, and unwieldy in_.11. Closely related to Dickinsons religious poetry are her poems concerning death and _, ranging over the physical as well as the psychological and emotional aspects of death.12. Im cededIve stopped being theirs, Im wifeIve finished that are but a few examples to show Dickinsons confusion and doubt about the role of _ in the 19th century America.C. Decide whether the following statements are true or false and write your answers in the brackets.1. Naturalism is evolved from realism.2. Philosophically, the naturalists believe that the real and true is always completely hidden from the understanding of the individual or beyond his control.3. Naturalism is no more than a different philosophical approach to reality, or to human existence.4. Life on the Mississippi tells a story of Henry Jamess boyhood ambition to become a riverboat pilot up and down the Mississippi.5. Daisy Miller is generally considered to be Henry Jamess masterpiece.6. Henry James adopts international themes in his three literary periods.7. Henry Jamess literary criticism is an indispensable part ofhis contribution to literature. 8. Emily Dickinsons poems are usually based on her own experiences, her sorrows and joys.9. Each of Emily Dickinsons poems has a well-chosen title. 10. Emily Dickinsons poetry is unique and unconventional in its own way, covering love, death and nature. 11. Theodore Dreiser is greatly influenced by Darwinism and it is not surprising to find in his fiction a world of jungle, where kill or to be killed is the law.12. In This is my letter to the World Dickinson expresses her reluctance to communicate with the outside world.D. Name the author of each of the following literary works.1. Life on the Mississippi2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn3. The Portrait of a Lady4. The Ambassadors5. The Art of Fiction6. I like to see it lap the Miles7. I heard a Fly buzz When I died 8. Because I could not stop for Death9. An American Tragedy10. Sister Carrie11. Daisy Miller 70E. Define the literary terms listed below.1. The Age of Realism 2. Naturalism3. Darwinism 4. Local ColorismF.A) For each of the quotations listed below please give the name of the author and the title of the literary work from which it is taken and then briefly interpret it.1. Her Message is committed To hands I can not see For love of Her Sweet countrymen Judge tenderly of Me2. With Blue uncertain stumbling Buzz Between the light and me And then the Windows failed and then I could not see to see 3. To fit its Ribs And crawl between Complaining all the whileIn horrid hooting stanza Then chase itself down Hill And neigh like Boanerges Then prompter than a Star Stop docile and omnipotent At its own stable door 4. We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess in the Ring We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain We passed the Setting Sun B) Read the quoted parts carefully and answer the questions in English.1. We dasnt stop again at any town, for days and days; kept right along down the river. We was down south in the warm weather, now, and a mighty long ways from home. We begun to come to trees with Spanish moss on them, hanging down from the limbs like long gray beards. It was the first I ever see it growing, and it made the woods look solemn and dismal. A. Identify the author and the title of the work from which the passage is taken.B. Whom does the word we refer to?C. What is the name of river mentioned in the passage?2. But it seemed that both his audacity and his respect were lost on Miss Daisy Miller. I guess mother wouldnt go for you, she smiled. And she aint much bent on going, anyway. She dont like to ride round in the afternoon. After which she familiarly proceeded; But did you really mean what you said just now that youd like to go up there? Most earnestly I meant it, Winterbourne declared. A. Identify the author and the title of the novel from which the passage is taken.B. Where are they going to visit?C. Where is this part of the novel set?3. It is when the feet weary and hope seems vain that the heartaches and the longings arise. chair, by your window dreaming, shall you long, alone. In your rocking-chair, by your window, shall you dream such happiness as you may never feel. A. Identify the author and the title of the work from which the passage is taken.B. What does the rocking-chair symbolize?C. How do you classify this novel?G. Give brief answers to the following questions.1. Who are the three dominant figures of the American Realistic Period and what are their literary differences?2. Analyze Mark Twains language.3. Briefly comment on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.4. Analyze Henry Jamess international themes.5. Briefly introduce Henry Jamess theory of literary criticism.6. What is Henry Jamess narrative point of view?7. Discuss the theme in Emily Dickinsons poetry.8. Discuss Emily Dickinsons poetic style.9. Discuss Theodore Dreisers naturalistic tendency in relation to Sister Carrie.H. Short essay questions.1. Write an essay on Mark Twains literary career.2. Summarize Henry Jamess literary creation and literary achievement.Answers to Chapter 2A. l. B 2. A 3. B 4. C 5. C 6. C 7. A 8. B 9. B 10. D 11. B 12. AB.1. heredity, environment 2. forerunner, founder 3. European4. optimist, pessimist 5. adults 6. French 7. bestiality 8. inner world 9. negative10. language, structure 11. immortality 12. womenC.l. T 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. F 7. T 8. T 9. F 10. T 11. T 12. FD.1. Mark Twain 2. Mark Twain 3. Henry James 4. Henry James 5. Henry James 6. Emily Dickinson 7. Emily Dickinson 8. Emily Dickinson 9. Theodore Dreiser 10. Theodore Dreiser 11. Henry James E.1. The Age of RealismThe literary climate after the Civil War proved to be quite different . A new generation of writers, dissatisfied with the Romantic ideas in the older generation, came up with a new inspiration. This new attitude was characterized by a great interest in the realities of life. It aimed at the interpretation of the realities of any aspect of life, free from subjective prejudice, idealism, or romantic color. So writers began to describe the integrity of human character reacting under various circumstances and picture the pioneers of the Far West, the new immigrants and the struggles of the working classes. This literary interest in the reality of life started a new period in American literature known as the Age of Realism.2. NaturalismThe impact of Darwins evolutionary theory on the American thought and the influence of the 19th century French literature on the American men of letters helped another school of realism; American naturalism take root in America. The American naturalists accepted the more negative interpretation of this theory and used it to account for the behavior of those characters in literary works who were regarded as more or less complex combinations of inherited attributes, their habits conditioned by social and economic forces. Naturalism is evolved from realism when the authors tone in writing becomes less serious and less sympathetic but more ironic and more pessimistic. It is no more than a gloomy philosophical approach to reality, or to human existence.3. DarwinismThe term comes from Charles Darwins evolutionary theory. Darwinists think that those who survive in the world are the fittest and those who can not adapt themselves to the environment will perish. They believe that man has evolved from lower forms of life. Humans are special not because God created them in His image, but because they have successfully adapted to changing environmental conditions and have passed on their survival-making characteristics genetically. Influenced by this theory, some American naturalist writers apply Darwinism as an explanation of human nature and social reality.4. Local ColorismThe particular concern about the local character of a region is called local colorism, a unique part of American literary realism. Major local colorists include Hamlin Garland, Mark Twain, etc. Generally, their writings are concerned with the truthful color of local life. The characteristic setting is the isolated small town. Local colorists were consciously nostalgic about a vanishing way of life and tried to record a present that faded before their eyes. They dedicated themselves to minutely accurate descriptions of the life of their regions. They worked from personal experience to record the facts of a local environment and suggested that the native life was shaped by the curious conditions of the locale.F. A)1. From Emily Dickinsons This is my letter to the World. Here the poet is eager to communicate with the outside world and nature.2. From Emily Dickinsons I heard a Fly buzz when I died . This stanza is a description of the moment when the speaker is dying. The sight of the speaker becomes dim and listening becomes weak.3. From Emily Dickinsons I like to see it lap the Miles . It refers to the train. This part personifies the train and describes the rhythm of its fast movement and its magnificence.4. From Emily Dickinsons Because I could not stop for Death . The term we refers to the speaker and death. Here the School stands for youth, the Field for maturity, and the Setting Sun for the end of life. Following the beckon of death, one spends his whole life and dies, thus embraces immortality. In the poets mind, death leads to immortality.B)1. A. From Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.B. The word we refers to Huck and Jim.C. The Mississippi river.2. A. From Henry Jamess Daisy Miller.B. They are going to visit an old castle.C. This part is set in Switzerland.3. A. From Theodore Dreisers Sister Carrie.B. It symbolizes that Carries fate is unstable and she is unable to control her own course of life.C. It is a naturalistic novel. .G.1. The three dominant figures of the period are William Dean Howells, Mark Twain, and Henry James. Though the three prominent writers all worked for realism they had different understanding of the truth.” While Mark Twain and Howells seem to have paid more attention to the “life of the Americans, Henry James has apparently laid a greater emphasis on the inner world of man. He is a realist of the inner life. Though Twain and Howells both share the same concern in presenting the truth of the American society, the have each of them different emphasis. Howells focuses his discussion on the rising middle class and the way they live, while Twain deals with his own region and people of the lower class of society at the forefront of his stories. James writes mostly of the upper reaches of American society.2. One striking feature of Mark Twains works is his magic power with languagehis use of vernacular. His words are colloquial, concrete and direct in effect, and his sentence structures are simple, even ungrammatical, which is typical of the spoken language. And Twain skillfully uses the colloquial style to portray his protagonists in their everyday life. Whats more, his characters, confined to a particular region and to a particular historical moment, speak in the speech of uneducated Americans, which is true of his local colorism. Besides different characters from different literary or cultural back grounds talk differently, as is the case with Huck, Tom, and Jim. Indeed, with his great mastery and effective use of vernacular, Twain has made colloquial speech an accepted, respected literary medium in the literary history of the country.3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, being a boys book specially written for the adults, is Twains most representative Work, describing a journey down the Mississippi undertaken by an outcast and a runaway slave, Huck and Jim. Their dramatic encounters present a sample of the small-town world of America and a survey of the social world from the band of the river that runs through the heart of the country. The book proved to be a monumental work in American literature and finally established Twains position in the literary world. The profound recreation of Huckleberry Finn is another great contribution of the book to the legacy of American literature. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is best known for Mark Trains wonderful characterization of Huck, a typical American Boy whom its creator describes as a boy with a sound heart and a deformed conscience. The book is also remarkable for the rafts journey down the Mississippi river, which Twain uses both realistically and symbolically to shape uis book into an organic whole. Through the eyes of Huck, the innocent and reluctant rebel, we see the pre-Civil War American society fully exposed and at the same time we are deeply impressed by Mark Twains thematic contrasts between innocence and experie