BJU American Lit Exam

Transcendentalism

A philosophy pioneered by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 1830's and 1840's. Its key tenets are that man and nature emanate from a spiritual force called the Over-Soul, man and nature contain a spark of the divine, man receives knowledge through nature, man is guided to truth by his own intuition, and man is inherently good and is progressing toward perfection.

Hyperbole

Obvious overstatement or exaggeration intended to make a point

Slang

Nonstandard vocabulary, often used by a particular group of people

Colloquialism

Words and phrases are commonly employed in informal conversation rather than in formal speaking or writing.

Symbols

A person, place, or thing within a narrative or poem that means something in addition to itself.

Catalog

List of the names of persons, places, or things.

Surprise

The violation of the reader's expectations

Analogy

A detailed comparison of one thing to another dissimilar thing.

Essay

A nonfiction prose composition (usually of shorter length) that explores a subject or argues for a thesis but that is not intended to address a subject in its entirety.

Rhythm

Regular pace or beat.

Satire

Corrective ridicule in literature, or a work that is designed to correct an evil by means of ridicule.

• Outgrowth of the ideas of Immanuel Kant

• Affected by mysticism

• Belief in an "over-soul", a spiritual presence resting on every part of the universe.

• Nature = God

• Natural goodness of man

• Two groups: optimists and pessimists.

Key facts about Transcendentalism

Nostalgic

What is the mood of Anabelle Lee?

The dial

Official publication of the transcendentalists

Edgar Allen Poe

Master of the Macabre

Edgar Allan Poe

Pessimistic writing after parents death

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Sympathetic to Christianity

Henry David Thoreau

Jailed for refusing to pay taxes

Mood

The emotional atmosphere of a work

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Celebrated the youth for being a prime example of self-reliance

Edgar Allen Poe

Father of detective fiction

Foreshadowing

Hints at future events

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Slant rhyme

Words that are similar but slightly mismatched in sound.

Perfect rhyme

Words that are exactly alike from the vowel of the last syllable onward.

Local color

Writing that uses a specific setting and gives special attention to that setting's landscape, and to the customs, dialect, dress, and beliefs of its people.

Regionalism

A literary movement that located its fiction in a specific geographical location of the country. Emphasized details (like landscape, dialect, etc.)

Sentimentalism

The overly emotional treatment of a subject in an attempt to play on the reader's emotions.

Imagery

Descriptive words or phrases that appeal to the senses

Character type

A stock character, similar to a stereotype.

External conflict

Conflict between characters, or between a character and his environment

Onomatopoeia

Words that make sounds are being described

Internal conflict

A conflict between a character's emotions, desires, or both

Situational irony

When the story's events violate expectations

Verbal irony

When a speaker's meaning differs from what he expresses in words

Realism

A literary style that seeks to reflect life accurately in subject matter and in depiction; reacted against romanticism.

Psychological realism

Realistic fiction that emphasizes characterization by focusing on underlying thought processes and motivations.

A philosophical movement that emerged in the early 19th century, emphasizing the inherent goodness of people and nature, and the importance of individual intuition and self-reliance.What is Transcendentalism?

What is Transcendentalism?

the ideas of Immanuel Kant and the mysticism of various spiritual traditions.Who influenced Transcendentalism?

Who influenced Transcendentalism?

a spiritual presence that is believed to reside in every part of the universe, connecting all living beings

• God=natureWhat is the concept of the Over-Soul?

What is the concept of the Over-Soul?

divided into optimists, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman, and pessimists, such as Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville.

What are the two groups of Transcendentalists?

emphasizing the importance of individual thought and independence over societal conformity.

What is the significance of self-reliance in Transcendentalism?

failed to adequately explain the true nature of man and the complexities of human existence.

What criticism was directed at the Transcendentalist movement through transcendental pessimists?

A Unitarian minister, essayist, lecturer, and pivotal figure in American literature.

Who was Ralph Waldo Emerson?

Unitarian Church

What church was Ralph Waldo Emerson ordained in?

The ministry

What did Ralph Waldo Emerson reject?

Europe

Where did Ralph Waldo Emerson travel?

The Dial

What publication did Ralph Waldo Emerson edit?

Transcendentalism

What movement was Ralph Waldo Emerson a national figure of?

Ralph Waldo Emerson

who wrote self reliance?

Walden

Thoreau's most influential work

nature focus, autobiography of inner life, inspirational literature, emersonian transcendentalism, social criticism

what key points does walden cover?

not paying poll taxes

what was Thoreau's act of civil disobedience?

Thoreau

Who participated in the Underground Railroad operation

Walt Whitman

Who is known as the American wonderer?

Self-Proclaimed National Poet

What title did Walt Whitman give himself?

87 years

How long did Walt Whitman revise his volume of poems?

Civil War and Lincoln assassination

What themes did Walt Whitman's poetry cover?Civil War and Lincoln assassination

Modern Poetry

What is Walt Whitman considered the progenitor of?

Free verse

What style of poetry did Walt Whitman use?

Any subjects

What subjects did Walt Whitman not consider forbidden?

The destructive effects on the American mind

What did Walt Whitman's poetry illustrate about transcendentalism?

Walt Whitman

Who is considered the single most powerful influence on modern American poets?

Writer

What was Nathaniel Hawthorne's profession?

12 years

How long did Nathaniel Hawthorne read and practice writing?

Short story artist

What is Nathaniel Hawthorne known for in literature?

The short story as an artistic form

What did Nathaniel Hawthorne aim to elevate?

The Scarlet Letter

What is the title of Nathaniel Hawthorne's first novel?

Herman Melville

Who was Nathaniel Hawthorne's friend and fellow writer?

Settings from the past with universal themes

What themes did Nathaniel Hawthorne combine in his works?

Romantic optimism

What literary movement did Nathaniel Hawthorne react against?

An orphaned poet adopted and educated by the Allan family.

Who was Edgar Allan Poe?

He was a published author by age 18.

What was Edgar Allan Poe's status as a published author?

He is known as the architect of the short story.

What literary form is Edgar Allan Poe known for?

He is considered the father of detective fiction.

What genre is Edgar Allan Poe credited with founding?

He was also an editor.

What was one of Edgar Allan Poe's roles besides being a writer?

He believed in the false notion that truth and beauty are exclusive of each other.

What philosophical belief did Edgar Allan Poe hold regarding truth and beauty?

His style is governed by length, being short enough to be read in one sitting.

What is a key stylistic principle of Edgar Allan Poe's writing?

A single emotion should dominate the entire work.

What should dominate an entire work according to Edgar Allan Poe?

He opposed transcendental optimism.

What literary philosophy did Edgar Allan Poe oppose?

Specific geographic areas, dialect, customs, clothing, beliefs, and landscape.

What did regionalists focus on?

Special attention to setting, a romantic or nostalgic tone, and often short stories.

What is local color writing characterized by?

Regionalists were usually less serious than major realists.

How did regionalists compare to major realists?

Bret Harte

Who is known as the American Dickens?

Stories about the American West

What type of stories did Bret Harte write?

Clean writing, strong endings, surprising twists

What are some characteristics of Bret Harte's writing style?

The Boom in the Calaveras Clarion

What is an example story written by Bret Harte?

Sarah Orne Jewett

Regionalist writer from New England who wrote short stories for magazines (loved countryside)

A White Heron

Famous story by Sarah Orne Jewett

Local color

Includes customs, dialect, beliefs, and setting

Amherst, Massachusetts

Where did Emily Dickinson live?

Very private life

What type of life did Emily Dickinson lead?

Very little

How much did Emily Dickinson publish while alive?

Imagination, nature, death, hope, faith

What are common themes in Emily Dickinson's poetry?