American Lit Unit 2

set in the future

any media—short stories and films can belong to the same genre. Genre is determined based on kinds of characters, plots, messages, settings, and other characteristics in a work. When thinking about what genre a text belongs to, it is important to consider all of its characteristics. For example, just because there's a love interest in a movie does not make that movie a romance. You must look at the other characteristics of the movie.

subgenres. For example, the genre of crime fiction can be further divided into subgenres such as buddy cop stories and gangster stories. Comedy can be divided into subgenres such as romantic comedies and screwball comedies. Sometimes, subgenres arise when elements of two genres are combined. For example, science fiction comedies combine elements of two distinct genres, and these stories therefore belong to both genres.

American Romanticism (1820-1860). Though the root word of romanticism is romance, the literary movement is not chock full of love stories. In fact, a subgenre of American Romanticism is Gothic. What images do you associate with this word? They are likely related to the Gothic writing style that relies on grotesque imagery, morbid settings, and plots heavy in horror and the supernatural. The stamp on this page commemorates a popular story from this subgenre.

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Love is the primary theme in the literature of American Romanticism.

the natural and spiritual world are connected

William Wordsworth

the site of the Salem Witch Trials. Though Hawthorne wrote "Young Goodman Brown" in 1835, his readers were well aware of the events that transpired in Salem in 1692. Neighbor pitted against neighbor as accusations of witchcraft swirled around the town. Nineteen men and women were convicted of witchcraft and hanged; another man was pressed to death under the weight of heavy stones. Though "Young Goodman Brown" is a fictional story, Hawthorne capitalized on haunting events in American history to heighten the story's mood.

"with," "together with," "united," "same," "or similar." Symbolism unites an object with a greater meaning

his short story, "Young Goodman Brown." The title character, a young Puritan man named Goodman Brown, takes a walk through the woods surrounding his home in Salem, Massachusetts one evening. He meets the devil there and witnesses his neighbors participating in a fiery ceremony. When he returns home, he is unsure whether it was a dream or real. In Hawthorne's stories, setting is particularly meaningful. His description of the woods initially establishes the dark mood of "Young Goodman Brown." He writes that Goodman Brown "had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through." The dreary darkness is further heightened by the idea that the trees might not only be alive, but conscious of their movements, crowding Goodman Brown on his walk.

an older man with a staff in the shape of a serpent

he sees a ribbon from his wife Faith's cap

When paraphrasing, you rewrite a passage in your own words

The Puritans in Salem upheld freedom of religion

interpret literature and support their conclusions with details and quotations from the text. They contribute their voices to the ongoing dialogue about the merits and faults of particular works of literature.

The drops of dew on Goodman Brown's face symbolize his failure to reach spiritual maturity.

Faith's pink ribbon

doubt

Goodman

Allan in his name. When he was a very young boy, his mother died and he was taken in by a couple in Richmond—the Allans. In letters written in 1831 to his guardian, Poe reveals much about his struggles and growth as a writer

They aren't safe from the red death after all

The walls and windows are two different colors, and there is a large clock in the room

The self-expression and logic in Poe's letters is also evident in his literature.

transcendentalism. The root of transcendentalism, transcend, means to go beyond. This school of thought encouraged Americans and society at large to shed corruption by tapping into man's innate goodness. Transcendentalists believed God was present in nature and directly accessible to man, without the need for organized religion and all of its trappings. In short, they wanted to move beyond a theology that relegated God's presence to heaven. Further, transcendentalists vehemently opposed slavery and fervently supported the abolitionist movement.

anonymously published an essay entitled "Nature" in 1836. In 1841, Emerson published a collection of essays that included a piece titled "Self-Reliance." "Self-Reliance" highlights key tenets of transcendentalist thought, and it is also representative of Emerson's clear and distinctive writing style.

important philosophical and literary movement beginning in New England in the 1830s.

prose. Emerson was fond of using figurative language, along with examples, repetition, and historical references to prove his points. He also tried to boil down his views into short, instructional sayings, known as aphorisms.

n. a beggar

the trait of being agreeably submissive and manageable

The idea that faith alone, not deeds, is necessary for salvation.

an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.

Fearful, timid

a Puritan preacher

by observing nature

They did not imitate, but established and communicated their own original philosophies.

Logically speaking, God would not ask an inferior and evil being to do his work.

conformity

Consistency is an imaginary and unnecessary shackle on the minds of man.

"a new respect for the divinity in man"

"to go beyond," and this school of thought intended to push society forward. Transcendentalists wanted to move beyond a theology that relegated God's presence to heaven and see God's presence reflected in nature. They wanted to move beyond slavery and fervently supported the abolitionist movement. Henry David Thoreau ventured beyond his traditional home to explore a life of simplicity by Walden Pond. The image on this page depicts Walden Pond in the fall; Thoreau lived by its shores there from July of 1845 to September of 1847. In response to curious townspeople, Thoreau recorded his experiences and reflections and eventually published Walden. The same curiosity that leads people to social media websites, and to read status updates, drew readers to Thoreau.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear...I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. Even though Thoreau concluded, "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude," he was not at all a hermit. His cabin was only a few kilometers from town and his friends visited to share news from civilization

Transcendentalism (subgenre of Romanticism)

style so original that it changed the course of American poetry. As you learn more about Walt Whitman, he may remind you of a certain transcendentalist writer.Walt Whitman was a great lyric poet. He wrote from an early age, inspired by the world and people around him in Long Island, New York. He quickly found success, having individual poems published in various magazines. However, when he wrote his book of poetry, Leaves of Grass, no publishers would agree to take it on and he had to publish it himself. This was because the work was so unusual. This text was modeled after the King James Bible, written without rhyme or meter in rhythmic free verse. Though Leaves of Grass puzzled people when it was first released, it became a model for and inspiration to many future poets. Whitman's great love of life in America was driven by his faith in humanity. He was greatly inspired by a goal of uniting all people in common goodwill. He was highly concerned with injustices done to poor people, and optimistic democracy became a central theme in his writing. His poetry also celebrates the joyfulness of physical health and being in nature, especially the landscape of the ocean.