Eras in American Lit
Lit Terms
Famous Authors and Their Works
Writing
Potpourri
100
During this era, writers modeled their writings on the Bible and frequently used their own writings as a way to examine their emotional and physical lives to show appreciation, dedication, and reverence of God.
What is Puritanism?
100
This is evident in the following quote. "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you could do for your country." -John F. Kennedy
What is chiasmus?
100
Which famous American author wrote the following, and from where is the excerpt? “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Who is Thomas Jefferson and The Declaration of Independence?
100
Combine into a coherent whole.
What is to synthesize?
100
Add notes to the text and giving explanation or comment.
What is to annotate?
200
Writers in this era, such as Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, believed that humans could find truth through reason, rather than relying on religion, faith, or intuition.
What is Rationalism?
200
This is evident in the following quote. "I can resist anything, except temptation." - Oscar Wilde
What is oxymoron?
200
This poet is the author of such poems as "Because I Could Not Stop for Death", as well as more than eighteen hundred others, was a recluse especially later in her life, and often has used unusual grammar in her poems such as that of dashes, commas, and more.
Who is Emily Dickinson and "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"?
200
The strategy in which one closely analyzes and annotates the text with which one is reading.
What is the strategy of close reading?
200
Ad hominem, glittering generalities, bandwagon, and testimonials are all examples of this.
What are logical fallacies?
300
In which era in American literature was the following written? TO HIM who in the love of Nature holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks A various language; for his gayer hours She has a voice of gladness, and a smile And eloquence of beauty, and she glides Into his darker musings, with a mild And healing sympathy, that steals away Their sharpness, ere he is aware.
What is romanticism?
300
This is a mild or indirect word or expression for one too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
What is a euphemism?
300
This author stressed non-conformity in his famous work "Self Reliance."
Who is Ralph Waldo Emerson?
300
To do so is often too informal, and the text may not apply to the reader.
Why should one, when writing, avoid directly addressing his or her audience directly?
300
To quote (a passage, book, or author) as evidence for or justification of an argument or statement.
What is citation?
400
The shift was due to religious unrest, a failing society, and the similar Renaissance in Europe that was taking place concurrently, with ideas of Enlightenment taking root in America.
Why did Americans pull away from Puritanism and instead embrace Rationalism?
400
"What literary devices does Piercy use in the following excerpt from her poem "Barbie Doll"? "She was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back, abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity. She went to and fro apologizing. Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs."
What are irony and sarcasm?
400
This person in his famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" described the horrors of hell and the dangers of sin in attempt to return people back to the church.
Who is Johnathan Edwards?
400
It is important because it adds anticipation to one's argument, rather revealing everything at one time; it reveals an author's stance on a subject and offers insight to the logic and reasoning behind such stance as the author has; and it portrays the foresight and thought that one has taken before writing, which leads to a more impressive written work than without, or without one so written.
Why is it important to have a clear, concise thesis early in a paper?
400
The supernatural, magic (sometimes), horror, remote setting, evil, and elevated emotion is often present in such works.
What are elements often found in Gothic literature?
500
Local Colorism, such as that which Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) has been noted for in particular, arose during this period.
What is realism?
500
"Our transportation crisis will be solved by a bigger plane or a wider road, mental illness with a pill, poverty with a law, slums with a bulldozer, urban conflict with a gas, racism with a goodwill gesture." -Philip Slater, The Pursuit of Loneliness)
What is an example of parallelism?
500
Often considered the father of the American short story, this man has been an influential author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century, publishing under several pseudonyms such as Dietrich Knickerbocker, Jonathan Oldstyle, and Geoffrey Crayon. He is most well remembered and celebrated for having written The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle.
Who is Washington Irving?
500
Voice is reflective of the author's personality whereas tone describes his or her mood or emotions; voice change more constantly throughout a single work; multiple voices can create a single tone (for a single author or otherwise); tone is the method one uses to portray the overall mood within a work. It is important due to the definitive variance betwixt them, as each has its separate function though they together portray the mood and "feel" of a text.
What is the difference between voice and tone, and why is it important to be able to differentiate between the two?
500
These are characteristics or qualities a typical anti-hero have, such as Napoleon Dynamite, Batman, and Robin Hood.
What is a lack of noble or heroic qualities; imperfections a typical hero is lacking of; villain-like qualities; a breaking of law to meet a noble goal; or a belief that "the ends justifies the means"?
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