"Life of FD" by Frederick Douglass

• Realism encompasses social realism (addressing social issues and injustice), psychological realism (exploring inner thoughts and emotions), naturalism (emphasizing environmental influence with greater intensity), and regional/local color (highlighting specific regional characteristics).
• Realist writers focus on ordinary characters and settings, social issues, complex characters, and the present.
• There is little poetry or fiction about the Civil War because few famous authors witnessed the war, and the younger generation was abroad.
• Regional (local color) writers can be problematic due to cheesy plots and stereotyped characters.
• Groups facing discrimination included African Americans, immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, and the poor.

"Life of FD" by Frederick Douglass

• After six months, FD (Frederick Douglass)'s condition improved; he escaped and became an abolitionist.
• The hardest thing for FD was returning to Mr. Covey's farm after running away.
• Frederick Douglass was a perfect abolitionist speaker due to his personal experience, speaking ability, and education.

"Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce

• The total time that passes in the story is just minutes.
• The federal spy incident represents dramatic irony because the reader knows the truth, while the character doesn't.
• The ticking clock signals the start of Peyton Farquhar's hallucination.
• Shifting POV offers insight into Farquhar's motivations and the circumstances of his condemnation, making the narrative unreliable.

"Notorious Frog" by Mark Twain

• The frame story's plot involves the narrator's interaction with Simon Wheeler.
• Jim Smiley's most thoughtless bet was betting that Parson Walker's sick wife would die.
• Twain's style is shown by in capturing Wheeler's working-class Western dialect.
• Contrasts are shown between the East and West, and urban versus rule settings.

"Silk Stockings" by Kate Chopin

• The stockings symbolize Mrs. Sommers' longing for her past affluence and also indicate her vanity and materialism.
• Mrs. Sommers feels like she's losing hope and is trapped by her life and family.
• The irony of Mrs. Sommers's name lies in how her best days occurred before she ever became "Mrs. Sommers."

Key People

Frederick Douglass

• Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who became a powerful anti-slavery orator and autobiographer
• He was also the most influential African American leader of the 19th century, known as the Sage of Anacostia.

William Dean Howells

• William Dean Howells was an influential Realist novelist, though not considered the era's best anymore.
• He rose from a low position on his father's newspaper to become a writer, critic, Realist leader, and editor of Atlantic Monthly.

Kate Chopin

• Kate Chopin wrote two novels and over 100 short stories.
• Her work was set in Louisiana and focused on the lives of sensitive, intelligent women.
• She died after visiting the St. Louis World's Fair.

Mark Twain

• Mark Twain was an adventurer and wily intellectual.
• He was known as America's first great humorist.
• He was also called a saint for championing minorities.
• Twain was born and died in years when Halley's Comet appeared.

Stephen Crane

• Stephen Crane's works are credited with establishing modern American naturalism.
• He wrote The Red Badge of Courage, considered one of the greatest novels ever written.
• Born after the Civil War, he died of tuberculosis at age 28.

Ambrose Bierce

• Ambrose Bierce's reputation rests on Poe-like and Civil War stories.
• He was a California journalist who exposed the truth.
• Nicknamed "the wickedest man in San Francisco".
• A Civil War veteran, he likely died in the Mexican Revolution.

Willa Cather

• Willa Cather was an early multiculturalist inspired by her immigrant neighbors.
• She is known foe her novels about frontier life on the Great Plains.
• She mourned the passing of the frontier spirit and a Nebraska ruined by machinery.

Emile Zola

• Emile Zola was a French novelist, journalist, and playwright.
• He was the best-known practitioner of literary naturalism.
• He also contributed to the development of theatrical naturalism.

Vocabulary

• Coherence: Being logical, consistent, and unified.
• Periodicals: Magazines or newspapers published regularly.
• Subsequently: After something has happened; afterward.
• Clamoring: Shouting loudly to protest or demand something.
• Integration: Bringing separate people or things together.
• Feminism: Advocating for women's rights on the basis of gender equality.
• Feat: An achievement requiring courage, skill, or strength.
• Paradigm: A typical example or pattern; a model.

POV (Point of View)

• 1st Person: The narrator is a character in the story using "I," "me," and "my."
• 2nd Person: The narrative is directed at the reader using "you" and "yours."
• 3rd Person Omniscient: The narrator knows all the characters' thoughts and feelings using "he," "she," and "they."
• 3rd Person Limited: The narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character.
• 3rd Person Objective: The narrator does not know any character's thoughts.

Literary Styles and Devices

• Psychological Realism: Focuses on people, their actions, and consequences.
• Dialect/Vernacular: A dialect is specific to a region or social group, while vernacular refers to the ordinary language of a region.
• Local Color/Regionalism: Emphasizes U.S. settings and may include melodrama or stereotypes.
• Characterization: Describing the distinctive nature or features of someone or something.
• Situational Irony: When the opposite of what is expected happens.
• Social Realism: Deals with institutions and social/political injustice.

Types of Irony

• Dramatic: The audience knows something the character does not.
• Verbal: A character says the opposite of what they mean.
• Situational: The opposite of what is expected occurs.
• Cosmic: The universe is against the characters.
• Autobiography: An account of a person's life written by that person.
• Slave Spirituals: African music combined with hymns.
• Understatement: Presenting something as less significant than it is.
• Genteel Tradition: Literature that respects and adheres to the cultural, social, and economic status quo.
• Emotive Language: Language that elicits strong emotions.
• Motif: A recurring subject, theme, or idea.
• SPACECAT: Speaker, Purpose, Audience, Content, Exigence, Choices, Appeals, Tone.
• Tall Tale: A story with unbelievable and exaggerated elements.

This excerpt discusses Frederick Douglass's improved condition after six months and his subsequent escape to become an abolitionist. It highlights experiences as a slave. It also mentions the difficulties Douglass faced upon returning to Mr. Covey's farm after his escape attempt.