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BasicLiteraryKnowledge1.HowdoyouunderstandMarktwain’suseoflocalcolorinhiswriting?MarkTwain’snarrativesaredistinguishedforhisuseoflocalcolor.Thismaybedefinedasthecarefulattentiontodetailsofthephysicalsceneandtothosemannerismsinspeech,dress,orbehaviorpeculiartoageographicallocality.Heinsistedthatthejobofthenativenovelistswastodepicteachofthecountry’sregionsandpeopleaccurately.OnlyinthiswaycouldthepeculiarityofAmericanexperience,thepolyglottonguesofitspeople,andthevastnessofthecontinentbecaptured.HemainlyexploitedthepossibilitiesofthelocalcolorintheMississippiregion.2.Discusstheconceptofwastelandinrelationtotheworksofthosewritersinthe20thcenturyAmericanliterature.‘TheWasteLand’isapoemwrittenbyT.S.Eliotonthethemeofthesterilityandchaosofth3contemporaryworld.Thismostwidelyknownexpressionofthedespairinthepostwarerahasappearedoverandoveragainintheworksofthosewritersinthe2othcenturyAmericanliterature.FaulknerexemplifiedT.S.Eliot’sconceptofmodernsocietyasawastelandisadramaticway,hecondemnedthemechanized,industrializedsocietythathasdehumanizedmanbyforcinghimtocultivatefalsevaluesanddecreasethoseessentialhumanvaluessuchascourage,fortitude,honestyandgoodness.Fitzgeraldsoughttoportrayaspiritualwastelandofthejazzage.Beneaththemasksofrelaxationandjoviality,therewasonlysterility,meaninglessandfutilityamidthegrandeurandextravagance,therewasahintofdecadenceandmoraldecay.Hemingway,theleadingspokesmanoftheLostGeneration,thoughdisillusionedinthepostwarperiod,strovetobringaboutman’s“graceunderpressure”.Hetriedtobringouttheideathanmancanbephysicallydestroyedbutneverdefeatedspiritually.3.AnalyzeWaltWhitman’s‘OCaptain!MyCaptain’intermsoffreeverse.Inthepoem,WhitmancelebratestheheroicstruggleoftheAmericanpeoplefordemocracy,freedomandjusticeandexpresseshisseethinghatredofslavery.Freeverseisakindofpoetrythatlacksregularmeterorpatternandmaynotrhyme.Dependingonnaturalspeechrhythms,itslinesmaybeofdifferentlengthsandmayswitchabruptlyfromonerhythmtoanother.WhitmanwasthefirstAmericanpoettousefreeverseextensively,becauseitisanappropriateformforhisliberatingviewoflifeandforhispoetrythatwouldalloweveryaspectoflifetospeakwithoutrestraint.Hetriedtoapproximatethenaturalcadencesofspeechinhispoetry,carefullyvaryingthelengthofhislinesaccordingtohisintendedemphasis.LiteratureofColonialAmericaWhowasAnneBradstreet?Whatwereherliteraryachievements?AnneBradstreet(1612-1672)isoneofthemostimportantfiguresinthehistoryofAmericanliterature.SheisconsideredbymanytobethefirstAmericanpoetandherfirstcollectionofpoems,TheTenthMuseLatelySprungupinAmerica,byaGentlewomanofThoseParts,wasthefirstbookwrittenbyawomantobepublishedintheUnitedStates.Mrs.Bradstreet’sworkalsoservesasdocumentofthestrugglesofaPuritanwifeagainstthehardshipsofnewEnglandcoloniallife.LiteratureofReasonandRevolution1.WhatarethecharacteristicsofBenjaminFranklin’sliterarywork?ThemainqualityinallBenjaminFranklin’swritingisitsgenuinehumanness.Hisliteraryworkwastypicalofhimself.Honest,plain,democratic,clear-headed,shrewd,worldly-wise,hewasinterestedinthepracticalsideoflife.Theabsenceofidealityisobviousinallhiscompositions.Heneverreachedthehighlevelsofimaginativeart.Butonthislowerplaneofmaterialinterestandevery-daylifehewas,theworkspossessauniversalcharm2.GiveabriefaccountofAmericanliteratureofthisperiod.MuchworkduringtheRevolutionaryperiodwaspublicwriting.BythetimeoftheWarforIndependence,nearlyfiftynewspapershadbeenestablishedinthecoastalcities.AtthetimeofWashington’sinauguration,therewerenearlyfortymagazines.AlmanacswerepopularfromMassachusettstoGeorgia.Themindofthenationwasonpolitics.Journalistsandprintersprovidedaforumfortheexpressionofideas.Thewritingofpermanentimportanceismostlypoliticalwriting.Thebest-knownwritingoftheperiodoutsidethefieldofpoliticswasdonebyBenjaminFranklin.3.WriteananalysisofTheDeclarationofIndependence.TheDeclarationofIndependence,adoptedonJuly4,1776,notonlyannouncedthebirthofanewnation,italsosetforthaphilosophyofhumanfreedomwhichservedasanimportantforceinthewesternworld.ItsideasinspiredmassfervorfortheAmericancause,foritinstilledamongthecommonpeopleasenseoftheirownimportance,andinspiredstruggleforpersonalfreedom,self-government,andadignifiedplaceinsociety.RomanticPeriodofAmericanLiterature1.WhataretheartisticachievementsofHenryWadsworthLongfellow’spoetry?HewasthebestknownoftheFiresidePoets.AmericanpoetrybeganitsemergencefromtheshadowofitsBritishparentage.Hispoeticnarrativehelpedcreateanationalhistoricalmyth,transformingcolorfulaspectsoftheAmericanpastintomemorableromance.TheworksincludeEvangeline(1847),theSongofHiawatha(1855).NoAmericanpoetbeforeorsincewasaswidelycelebratedduringhisorherlifetimeasLongfellow.HebecamethefirstandtheonlyAmericanpoettobehonoredwithabustinthePoets’Corner.2.HowtodefinetheRomanticperiodinAmericanhistory?Theperiodstretchesfromtheendofthe18thcenturytotheoutbreakoftheCivilWar.itstartedwiththepublicationofWashingtonIrving’sTheSketchBookandendedwithWhitman’sLeavesofGrass.BeingaperiodofthegreatflowingofAmericanliterature,itisalsocalled“theAmericanRenaissance”.3.W