American Literature

Influences on American Literature

• Historical events, social changes, and cultural movements shaped American literature
• Changes in people's lives, such as urbanization and industrialization, influenced American literature

Americanist Literary Criticism

• The diversity of American voices and experiences reflected the vitality of Americanist literary criticism

Late 19th Century United States

• The end of the 19th century was marked by the closing of the American frontier

Transformation of America

• The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) transformed America into the United States by expanding its territory

Building Vocabulary

• The best way for a university student to build their vocabulary is to read widely and often
• Guessing the meanings of unfamiliar words can be done by using prefixes, suffixes, and word stems
• Understanding word roots and prefixes can help decode unfamiliar words

Word Meaning and Dictionary Use

• In the sentence 'the young deer stood frozen', the word 'frozen' means 'paralyzed with fear'
• The best way to record new words is to keep a vocabulary notebook
• When using a dictionary, one should be curious and open-minded