Work(s) and Authors

• Works by various authors along with their notable characters.

• Life Among the Piutes

  • Author: Sara Winnemucca

• The School Days of an Indian Girl

  • Author: Sa Zitkala

  • Characters: Zitkala, Judewin, Thowin

• Squatter and the Don

  • Author: Ruiz de Burton or C. Loyal

  • Character: Don Mariano

• The Goophered Grapevine

  • Author: Charles Chesnutt

  • Characters: Charles, Annie (wife), Julius (former slave and storyteller), Henry (who the story was about)

• An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

  • Author: Ambrose Bierce

  • Character: Peyton Faruquar

• Desiree’s Baby

  • Author: Kate Chopin

  • Characters: Desiree, Armand, Master and Mistress Valmande (Desiree’s parents)

• Roughing It

  • Author: Mark Twain

• The Yellow Wallpaper

  • Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

  • Characters: Unnamed Narrator, John (narrator’s husband), Jennie (narrator’s sister-in-law)

• America & I

  • Author: Anzia Yezierska

• Christ in Concrete

  • Author: Di Donato

  • Character: Geremio (dad who dies on the job)

• Passing

  • Author: Nella Larsen

  • Characters: Irene Redfield (MAIN CHARACTER), Claire Kendry, John/Jack (Clare’s RACIST husband), Brian (Irene’s husband)

• John Redding Goes to Sea

  • Author: Zora Neale Hurston

  • Characters: John Redding (main character), Alf (father), Matty (mother)

• As I Lay Dying

  • Author: William Faulkner

  • Characters: Darl (second oldest son), Dewey Dell (only girl), Vardaman (youngest), Anse (incompetent and selfish father), Addie (dead mama), Jewel (bastard son), Cash (oldest), Peabody (doctor)

Historical Context

• Harlem Renaissance (1920s-1930s)

  • Key Authors: Nella Larsen (Passing), Langston Hughes (The N-Gro Speaks of Rivers), Claude McKay (The Tropics in New York, Joy in the Woods, America)

  • Description: Following the Great Migration, black authors and artists converted their suffering and adversity into creative expression, emphasizing challenges against racism and celebrating cultural heritage.

• The Great Depression (1930s; 1929-1939)

  • Causes: Stock market crash of 1929 led to a global economic downturn.

  • Statistics: By 1933, 25% of Americans were unemployed; widespread poverty.

  • Literary Contribution: "As I Lay Dying" by Faulkner written at this time; "Passing" also published within this context.

Literary Movements

• Imagists

  • Definition: A 20th-century movement characterized by clear, sharp imagery, minimizing elaborate description using simple direct language.

  • Key Work Examples:

    • "In a Station at the Metro" by Ezra Pound—uses juxtaposition without similes.

    • "All Mountains" by Hilda Doolittle (H.D.)

    • "The Red Wheelbarrow" and "Danse Russe" by William Carlos Williams

    • "Rhapsody on a Windy Night" by T.S. Eliot—creates an unsettling atmosphere.

• Modernism/Modernist

  • Definition: Literary style emphasizing stream of consciousness with rapid transition between thoughts; reflects real-time thinking.

  • Example: Excerpt from "Christ in Concrete" by Di Donato.

• Ante-/Post-Bellum

  • Antebellum (1815-1861): Refers to the pre-Civil War era, often discussing slavery.

  • Postbellum: Refers to the period following the Civil War.

  • Relevant Works: "Desiree’s Baby" by Kate Chopin and "The Goophered Grapevine" by Charles Chesnutt are set in the antebellum era.

Important Historical Events

• The Great Arrival of Italians

  • Migration: Approximately 4 million Italians immigrated to America (1880s-1924) fleeing famine and violence.

  • Relevant Work: “Christ in Concrete” by Di Donato—a semi-autobiographical account of Di Donato's family struggles during the Great Depression amidst discrimination.

• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (February 2, 1848)

  • Significance: Ended the Mexican-American War; Mexico ceded half of its territory to the U.S. (California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming).

  • Relevant Work: "Squatter and the Don" by Ruiz de Burton, exploring themes surrounding landownership and colonization.

Literary and Thematic Analysis

• Themes in Literature

  • The Squatter and the Don: Systemic racism, conflict between traditional and modern capitalism.

  • The Goophered Grapevine: Greed, regionalism.

  • An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: Themes of confinement, the Civil War, perception vs. reality.

  • Desiree’s Baby: Themes of racism, classism, irony, and fate.

  • The New Colossus: Exploration of American immigration, freedom, and identity.

  • The Yellow Wallpaper: Examination of mental illness, gender roles, and their societal implications.

  • The Red Wheelbarrow: Significance of ordinary objects in daily life.

  • Danse Russe: Represents solitary joy and self-expression.

  • In a Station at the Metro: Contrasts between industrialization and nature, perception vs. reality.

  • Rhapsody on a Windy Night: Reflections on meaning, control, time, and memory.

  • America & I: Represents themes of identity, poverty, and the American Dream struggle.

  • Christ in Concrete: Explores labor exploitation and the American Dream's difficulties.

  • Passing: Investigates black identity, beauty, race relations, jealousy, and sexuality.

  • John Redding Goes to Sea: Themes of adventure, fate's inevitability.

  • The N-Word Speaks of Rivers: Racial justice, African American experiences, and political activism.

  • Joy in the Woods: Discusses economic enslavement, working-class alienation.

  • Tropics in New York: Themes of homesickness, imagery of nature vs. urban life.

  • As I Lay Dying: Explores complex themes including mortality, religion, madness, secrets, and despair.