Eng final - lit

Irving (Key Facts)

Historian, Ambassador, author of “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, wrote under pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, achieved international fame.

Cooper (Key Facts)

Novelist who wrote about the frontier, lived as a gentleman farmer, authored the Leatherstocking tales featuring Natty Bumppo, and lost popularity later in life.

Bryant (Key Facts)

Editor, lawyer, and Republican who wrote influential early American poetry.

Longfellow (Key Facts)

Professor and ambassador whose bust was placed in Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner due to immense popularity.

Whittier (Key Facts)

Abolitionist and Quaker writer who famously criticized Daniel Webster.

Lowell (Key Facts)

Editor, professor, critic, ambassador, and writer of dialect poetry featuring the character Hosea Biglow.

Irving's Literary Purpose

He wrote purely for entertainment, deliberately omitting moral lessons from his stories.

Irving's European Success

Even though he was an American writer, Europe highly praised Irving's talent and made him an international star (the first successful American writer).

The Sketch Book

Irving's masterpiece that started and contained all of the main beliefs of Romanticism, offering brief glimpses of life.

Rip Van Winkle (Settings)

Kaatskill Mountains, Hudson River, and a Dutch village.

Rip Van Winkle (Character Dynamics)

The townspeople think Rip is a great neighbor, but Rip’s wife thinks Rip is horrible.

Rip Van Winkle (Plot Turn)

Rip runs away from his wife into the mountains and sleeps for 20 years.

Rip Van Winkle (The Awakening)

After his long sleep, dogs bark at him, showing he has become a total stranger to his changed village.

Individualism in Rip Van Winkle

Shown through Rip's choice to live completely for himself, avoiding social duties, the Revolution, and his wife's demands.

Cooper's Subject Matter

Stories that are all about frontiersmen who wore leather stocking boots.

Cooper's Motivation to Write

He started writing because his wife dared him, and he believed he could write just as well as European authors.

Why Cooper Lost Popularity

He spoke out against Andrew Jackson and criticized the changing political landscape of America.

Natty Bumppo's Nicknames

Deerslayer, Pathfinder, Hawkeye, and Natty.

The Deerslayer (Criticism)

Criticized for portraying unreal activities and larger-than-life, impossible feats.

Bryant's Main Themes

He focused heavily on nature and optimism, completely excluding themes of individualism.

Thanatopsis (Definition & Tone)

A meditation on death that remains optimistic, viewing death as simply joining nature.

Thanatopsis (Key Images)

Rocks, trees, rivers, and royalty, which make up the world as a beautiful tomb.

To a Waterfowl (Theme)

An optimistic poem about trusting your instinct, showing that both bird and man are guided aright by a higher power.

Longfellow's Public Reputation

He was extremely popular in both England and the US, honored with a bust in Westminster Abbey.

A Psalm of Life (Core Message)

Man’s soul does not die; we must improve, live a meaningful life, and act in the living present.

A Psalm of Life (Famous Metaphor)

Leaving footprints in the sands of time for others to follow.

Mezzocammin (Meaning & Setting)

Written halfway through life; the past seems peaceful and beautiful like a city in twilight, but the future brings the "cataract of death."

Longfellow and the Divine Comedy

Longfellow gained comfort after his wife's tragic death by working on translating Dante's masterpiece.

Longfellow's Metaphor for Translation

He compares his literary translation work to physical labor or entering a quiet cathedral to pray.

Whittier's "First-day Thoughts" Setting

Set in a silent Quaker church meeting.

Whittier's View on Hearsay

True faith comes from the inner light and silent reflection, not from religious hearsay or loud sermons.

Lowell's "The Courtin'"

A poem famous for using local color and regional traits.

The Lesson by Lowell

A poem utilizing fireflies and lightning to make an allusion about human nature and perception.

Holmes's Literary Style

He focused heavily on humor and lighthearted wit in his writing.

Old Ironsides

A poem written by Holmes that successfully saved a historic warship from being destroyed.

The Chambered Nautilus

A poem by Holmes carrying the message that the human soul must keep growing.

My Aunt

A humorous and ridiculous poem by Holmes satirizing family pride and strict upbringing.

Pseudonym

A fake name or pen name an author uses when publishing, such as Irving using “Diedrich Knickerbocker”.

Termagant

An abusive or nagging woman, used to describe Rip Van Winkle’s wife.

Sage

A wise person; in Irving’s stories, the old men sitting around the inn are treated like sages.

Satire

Literature that uses humor or ridicule to criticize society or people’s behavior (used heavily by Irving).

Archetype

A character or idea that appears repeatedly in literature across many cultures; Rip Van Winkle is the "eternal child."

Criticism

The expression of opinions or judgments about literature; Cooper faced this for his portrayals of Native Americans.

Derogatory Tone

A disrespectful or insulting attitude toward a subject; seen in some of Cooper's descriptions of Native Americans.

Escapism

Literature that helps readers escape harsh realities; Rip practicing this by fleeing to the mountains.

Marriage in Rip Van Winkle

Shown negatively as a trap where a nagging wife constantly makes her husband unhappy.

Mythological Hero

A larger-than-life character known for bravery or adventure, such as Natty Bumppo.

Poetic Justice

When characters receive rewards or punishments that fit their actions; Rip’s nagging wife dying while yelling at someone.

Image

A word picture or illustration.

Metaphor

A comparison of two unlike things, especially to describe an unknown or new entity.

Allusion

A reference to a famous piece of literature, history, or myth.

Didactic

Literature designed to teach a moral or spiritual lesson on purpose.

Dirge

A poem expressing deep lament, grief, or mourning.

Heresy

A belief or an opinion that goes directly against the accepted truth of scripture.

Tone

The author's underlying feeling or attitude toward a subject or character in his work.

Irony

Words or events that convey the exact opposite of their literal meaning.

Dialect

The use of phonetic spelling to accurately reflect the sound of language in a specific region.

Local Color

The specific details of people, character, language, and beliefs that capture a particular region.