| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Realism | "slice of life" writing focus on ordinary lives presented as true to life as possible |
| Regionalism | flavor, culture, and dialect of specific regions shown through writings |
| Naturalism | realistic but pessimistic; man as victim of nature +/or society |
| The Gilded Age | Twain's name for the 1890's- appearance is good but corruption is underneath a thin pretty layer |
| vernacular | language the way it is spoken, improper spelling shows regional pronunciations |
| epitaph | brief writing in honor of someone, as on a tombstone |
| satire | type of writing using humor to show needed changes |
| Local Color | writing about very specific locales; "Swamp Tales" example |
| irony | contrast between what is expected and what actually happens |
| Paul Laurence Dunbar | wrote both formal and dialect poems; first African American writer to make a living at craft of writing "We Wear the Mask" |
| Bret Harte | wrote Western tales that were formulaic; "Luck of Roaring Camp" "Outcasts of Poker Flat" |
| Kate Chopin | THE AWAKENING set in Louisiana locale; wrote about women who were seeking to have some control in their own lives "The Story of an Hour" "A Pair of Silk Stockings" |
| Mark Twain | "larger than life" American humorist and influential writer; author of HUCK FINN and "Jumping Frog"; used vernacular, humor, satire |
| Edgar Lee Masters | criminal lawyer who was also author of SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY epitaphs |
| Frederick Douglass | autobiography shows progression from slave to abolutionist speaker MY BONDAGE AND MY FREEDOM |
| Jack London | used writings about Yukon to go from homeless to millionaire, yet still tragic end; CALL OF THE WILD "To Build a Fire" |
| Edwin Arlington Robinson | Tilbury Town residents in poems show often bitter themes with abrupt endings and lives of desperate characters; "Richard Cory" |
| 1850-1914 | Division, Reconciliation, and Expansion |
| Stephen Crane | Important Naturalist writer; THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE; died very young of TB; used impressionism |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace