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Questions and Answers
What is a primary characteristic of the American Gothic subgenre?
What is a key element of Transcendentalism?
Who is the author of the essay 'Self-Reliance'?
What is the name of Frederick Douglass's 1845 autobiography?
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What is the title of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1851 novel?
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What is the name of the movement that emphasizes the importance of nature and the individual?
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Who wrote 'Walden, or Life in the Woods'?
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What is the name of the literary movement that emphasizes the beauty of the American landscape?
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Who is the author of 'The Narrative of Sojourner Truth'?
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What is the title of the novel that features the characters Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale?
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Study Notes
American Gothic
- A fictional subgenre of romanticism characterized by the use of the supernatural and irrationality
- Characters are at the mercy of forces beyond their control, with unclear distinctions between victims and villains
- Features the "double" motif, where individuals possess both evil and good qualities
- Emphasizes terror, horror, and suspense
- Often set in the American landscape, using scenery to evoke the sublime and beautiful
Transcendentalism
- A literary, philosophical, and spiritual movement that prioritizes intuition over reason
- Believes the basic truth of the universe transcends the physical world
- Emphasizes the importance of nature and the search for truth
- Envisions the unity of all things in nature, connected through a universal soul
- Advocates for individualism and self-reliance
- Involved in progressive social reform movements
Key Figures
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882): wrote "Nature" (1836) and "Self-Reliance" (1841)
- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862): wrote "Walden, or Life in the Woods" (1854) and "Civil Disobedience" (1849)
- Frederick George and Louisa Davis Minot: associated with the Hudson River School landscape movement
Pastoralism
- A cultural and literary ideology that idealizes rural life and the natural world
- Characterized by a focus on agriculture, livestock, and a grazing economy
- Seen as a defining aspect of American identity, evoking a sense of paradise and abundance
- Influential works include Leo Marx's "The Machine in the Garden" and "The Chronology of the Pastoral in America" (1664)
American Renaissance
- A literary and cultural movement of the mid-19th century
- Characterized by the works of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) and Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
- Notable works include "The House of the Seven Gables" (1851) and "The Scarlet Letter" (1850)
Black Voices
- Encompasses the experiences of African Americans during the Antebellum period
- Includes slave narratives, such as "A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" (1845) and "The Narrative of Sojourner Truth" (1850)
- Provides firsthand accounts of slavery and the struggle for freedom
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Description
Explore the characteristics of American Gothic literature, a subgenre of romanticism that features supernatural elements, irrationality, and terror. Learn about the use of setting, transcendentalism, and the dual nature of characters.
