American Lit: Modernism and The Gothic South Study guide: Review for Test 2

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”

Framed tale which uses all the aspects of Southern Gothic Literature.

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) “Two Views on a River”

A riverboat captain remembers being a boy on the river: Romanticism vs Realism

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) “Huckleberry Finn”

represents freedom (escapism) from society and adventure (Romanticism)

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) “Tom Sawyer”

Tom represents the civilized society that Huck and Jim leave behind on their flight down the river (Realism)

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

uses the bed as a symbol of misogyny.

The tone of “To Build a Fire”

Tragic or sad

“The Outcasts of Poker Flats”

Deism is revealed in that John Oakhurst is a gambler. He believes in luck and chance.

This occurs in “The Story of an Hour?” when Mrs. Mallard whispers, “Free, free, free.”

Kate Chopin’s dislikes the traditional roles of women

Matthew Brady

Civil War Photographs

Jacob Riis

Realistic photos of children in the slums of American cities

Naturalism

A theme of realism, where physical actions occur more out of stimulated subconscious response than thoughtful and measured reactions.

Plot Identification: “Outcasts of Poker Flats”

A gambler runs out of luck: Deism in the American

West

“A Rose for Emily”

Mrs. Emily Grierson’s house is a microcosm for the Old South. In the South, according to Faulkner, the sins of our fathers refers to slavery

In “In Another Country”

the beauty inside and outside the hospital is used as an example of escapism

In “In Another Country”

The Major, or Signor Maggiore’s personal philosophy can best be described as Nihilistic.

In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor

Mr. Shiftlet is described as a “tramp.”

In “Good Country People”

Mrs. Freedman loves to hear about diseases and people’s afflictions

In “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck

the chrysanthemums are a symbol for Elisa

The type of fragmented narration used in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” includes

unreliable narrator, stream of consciousness narration, and broken plot lines

In “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”

the bridegroom who jilts Granny the second time is Jesus

In “A Worn Path”

The journey can be categorized by two descriptions. They are cyclical and a mock epic

In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor

Mr. Shiftlet stretches before the sun and “his figure formed a crooked cross”

Hulga (Joy’s) philosophic view of life can best be described as

nihilistic

In “A Good Man is Hard to Find”

Red Sammy (who runs the restaurant) mistreats his wife and is defined by the grandmother as a “Good Man” like The Misfit.

The two types of criticism that we discussed regarding “The Life you Save may be your Own,” “The Chrysanthemums,” and “A&P” are

Marxist (money) and psychoanalytical (repressed sex/violence) criticism

Raymond Carver’s “Everything Stuck to Him” and Tim O’brien’s “Ambush” like The Thousand and One Tales of Scheherazade (or The Arabian Nights)

both framed tales

The Inability to Commit

occurs whenever a person cannot make decisions or he or she overthinks problems without making decisions (man of words, not action). This also occurs as symbolism through use of landscape and use of technology.

Escapism

People use this to ignore life’s difficulties (any addiction): alcoholism, gambling, etc.

Fragmentation

when the classical elements of literature are broken down. Use of Antiheroes, unreliable narrators, stream of consciousness narration, broken plot lines, and multiple perspective.

Friction between Old and New

Oftentimes, there will be an amount of difficulty between changing from one way of life to another. Many times it will be violent. Characters may not realize this change is occurring or can be central to the theme or conflict within a work.

Fragmentation in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”

Unreliable narrator- Granny is hallucinating and can’t be trusted as a narrator. Stream of consciousness narration- Granny rambles constantly, where images blur into others. Broken Plot lines- flashbacks, changing the subject, etc.

Escapism

Granny is given a hypodermic needle to keep her from the pain and fear of death.

Fragmentation: “A Worn Path”

a mock epic

Fragmentation in Modernism

also about odd or fragmented references. The wild animals like the “two-headed snake” represent ancient gods in mythology “thorns” are a reference to the trials of Christ “the maze” and “bulls” are a reference to Theseus and the Minotaur

The inability to commit: In “Ambush”

the fog represents the inability to commit (Guilt) because looking back, the man is STILL not sure if he made the best decision. The “fog” lingers over that event and it made it difficult to “see” if he was doing the right thing. It creeps into his memory uncontrollably and it cannot fully leave his mind. It is a part of his life forever