American Literature- Realism Age – Flashcards
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Literary Realism 1865-1910 Describe some of the aspects.
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No more omnipotent deities. Genre includes ordinary people reaction against Romanticism. Universe is a hostile place, we better stick together.
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What was the goal of Realism?
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To stimulate compassion, not amazement.
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Name 2 American Realism writers
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Henry James, Mark Twain
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What is "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" saying about war?
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That war is not fair. "It wouldn't be fair to be shot after he escaped a hanging."
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Name the characters in Owl Creek Bridge
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Peyton Farquar, his wife, the undercover soldier, the soldiers on the bridge
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Describe Peyton Farquar
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He is a farmer, loyal to the Confederacy but not allowed to fight.
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What is the significance of Peyton Farquar's name?
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"Farquar" implies that he is an Aristocrat. Anyone can die in war, even the wealthy.
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Define temporal subjectivity
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A subjective sense of time, time is slowing down or speeding up. Sometimes associated with a character having a near-death experience.
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What are some of the signs that something is not right in The Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge? (That these events aren't really happening)
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The commander says fire a volley, not at will- He gives the wrong command. Why are they firing a cannon into the woods, at one man? Trees are not random, but perfectly in rows. Stars are not the correct constellations. He can hear fish swimming when he is underwater.
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Describe The White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewitt
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It's a coming of age story. Written as propaganda to women about not killing the herons for their feathers. Killing the herons for superficial reasons is selfish and is therefore like killing yourself.
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Describe the significance of "Slyvia" in The White Heron.
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"Slyvia" means woods. Sylvia is an innocent, country girl. Her name implies that she is a part of the nature around her.
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Define "Down Easter" dialect
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Primarily the Maine region. We live in the "ma'sh" not the marsh
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Name the characters in The White Heron.
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Slyvia, Mrs. Tilley, The Stranger
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Describe "Editha" by William Dean Howells
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Anti-war essay against the Spanish-American War the war was an excuse for America to display their military strength
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Name the characters in Editha.
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Edith, George, George's mom
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Describe the significance of "Remember the Maine"
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The Maine was a battleship which blew up in Havana. It was assumed that Spain bombed the ship. Slogan for Revenge. Teddy Roosevelt was all for the war.
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Who was William Randolph Hearst?
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He was a journalist who wanted to sell newspapers. He created a bunch of propaganda, perpetuated by his own blind patriotism.
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Define "yellow journalism."
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propaganda filled journalism, completely subjective, tries to influence thought, filled with blind patriotism.
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jingoism
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Blind patriotism, my country is always right.
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Imperialism
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America needed to prove itself, show the other countries who is boss.
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What floats Editha's boat?
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-she gets a sexual charge from the idea of war -she forces George to volunteer -She says "Oh how United we are (as a country) but she really means sexually.
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Describe the box Editha sent George.
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It was wrapped in red, white and blue ribbon, a symbol of her mindless patriotism. He was supposed to open it if he ever doubted why he had joined the war. In the box she put a letter and her engagement ring, saying that she would have left him had he not enlisted.
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Describe Editha.
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She is shallow, evil, she sucks, her grief is always brief, she is a femme fatale.
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Describe To Build a Fire by Jack London.
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-Realism story -it is a story about the outdoors, London was an adventurer and pirate. -the character is an "off-the-shelf" character, no sentimentality -the story signifies how man cannot out-think nature.
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Describe the Chilcoot Pass picture.
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The picture portrays the insignificance of humans in comparison to the power of nature. The men climbing the mountain are dark, indistinguishable figures, like ants. They would have to carry supplies up the mountain hundreds of times, until they had exactly a ton of supplies, because that is what was necessary to survive.
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Describe the Klondike Gold Rush and the Yukon River and its significance to this story (1896).
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The Klondike Gold Rush is what the main character is participating in. Jack London participated in the KGR, which happened along the Yukon River in Canada. He did not make it rich and eventually gave up.
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Describe literary naturalism.
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Literary Naturalism is a subset of Realism. It was heavily influenced by Darwin. It expressed that humans are not favored by God. It portrays humans real relation to the Universe as obvious as possible. People need to hang together.
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Describe the difference between -50 and -75 degrees.
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In the story, at -50 the man might have been okay. You don't go out at -75, because you freeze faster, you need a friend to help you build a fire, keep you going. He did not listen to the older man, did not stick together.
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Describe the main characters fatal mistakes.
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-He goes out by himself -He doesn't understand that he can't reason out of nature's path. -He goes out when there are no clouds in the sky to keep in the warmth. -Builds a fire under a tree.
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Describe "Desiree's Baby" by Kate Chopin.
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It is another example of local color. A story of racism.
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Name the characters in Desiree's Baby.
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Desiree- adopted, they don't know who her parents are. Armond Audigny- Desiree's man, ends up being of mixed race, he is a dick, treats his slaves poorly even though he is half-black. Desiree's Baby
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Define the Reconstruction Era (1864-1877)
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rebuilding after the Civil War, after Sherman's March to the sea, a story that is trying to change race-relations.
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Define local color.
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fiction and poetry that focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region.
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Creole
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French-Spanish background top of aristocracy, looked down on the Cajuns
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Cajun
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country bumpkins
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mulattos
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racist term for mixed race babies
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Sally Hemmings
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Jefferson's mistress, who was a mulatto
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Describe the significance of the Colors in Desiree's baby.
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black,white, yellow, gray, used to show race relations and the arbitrariness of racism. The different colors of the house are also to tip off the readers that Armond is half-black.
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Describe The Open Boat by Stephen Crane.
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-based on a true story, Jan 1st 1897 Crane is on a ship that sinks and heading towards the surf in a lifeboat. -is an example of literary naturalism
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Name the characters in The Open Boat.
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The correspondent, the Oiler "Billie," the Cook and the Captain
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Describe the significance of the shark in The Open Boat.
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The shark is another element of nature that the unnamed correspondent can do nothing about. He can't do anything but curse at it, just as human beings can do nothing about nature. Nature doesn't hate humans, the shark doesn't either, they are both indifferent.
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Describe The Other Two by Edith Warton.
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-the other two means the other 2 husbands -the story is reflective of the changing social landscape due to the new availability of divorce -the only grounds for divorce was domestic abuse
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Name the characters in The Other Two.
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-Alice -Waythorn -Lily -Haskett -Varrick
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Describe the significance of the word "brute" in "The Other Two."
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The word "brute" in this story is significant in that it is used like a code word for "abuser." Men were generally seen as brutes in society, but in this femme fatale story the roles are reversed.
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In the end of the story "The Other Two" what is the significance of the teacups and the cigars?
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Teacups= vaginas Cigars=penises
