Page aa DEAR READER Page ab THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S REFERENCE CARD Page ac Page i American Literature by Laurie E. Rozakis, Ph.D. A Division of Macmillan General Reference A Pearson Education Macmillan Company 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019–6785 Page ii Copyright © 1999 by Laurie E. Rozakis All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. For information, address Alpha Books, 1633 Broadway, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10019–6785. THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO & Design are registered trademarks of Macmillan, Inc. Macmillan General Reference books may be purchased for business or sales promotional use. For information please write: Special Markets Department, Macmillan Publishing USA, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. International Standard Book Number: 0­02­863378­4 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 99­64167 01 00 99 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Interpretation of the printing code: The rightmost number of the first series of numbers is the year of the book's printing; the rightmost number of the second series of numbers is the number of the book's printing. For example, a printing code of 99­1 shows that the first printing occurred in 1999. Printed in the United States of America Note: This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice, a competent professional should be consulted. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book. Page iii Alpha Development Team Publisher Kathy Nebenhaus Editorial Director Gary M. Krebs Marketing Brand Manager Felice Primeau Development Editors Phil Kitchel Amy Zavatto Assistant Editor Georgette Blau Production Team Development Editor Amy Bryant Tech Editor Dolace McLean Production Editor Mark Enochs Copy Editor Fran Blauw Cover Designer Mike Freeland Photo Editor Richard H. Fox Illustrator Brian Mac Moyer Book Designers Scott Cook and Amy Adams of DesignLab Indexer Larry Sweazy Layout/Proofreading Angela Calvert Mary Hunt Page iv CONTENTS AT A GLANCE Part 1: A New Land, a New Literature (1607–1840) 1 1 3 America the Beautiful—and Talented Find out what makes American literature so special and revered, and learn the terms we use to analyze literature. 2 13 In the Beginning: America's First Writers (1607–1750) Explore America's first writers—William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, Cotton Mather, and John Smith—and discover the roots of Puritanism. 3 25 Don't Tread on Me: The Revolutionary Period (1750–1800) Read excerpts from Abigail Adams' letters, Hector St. Jean de Cr`vecoeur's essays, Benjamin Franklin's autobiography and almanac, Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, and Thomas Paine's fiery pamphlets to see how American literature developed. 4 39 The Big Daddy of American Literature: Washington Irving (1789–1851) Discover how Irving proved that memorable fiction could be set in America with American "types." 5 49 Father of the American Novel: James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851) Learn that Cooper created the first American adventure story, the first American novel of manners, and the first American novel of the sea. 6 61 Life on the Ledge: Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) See how Poe created the modern short story, the detective story, landmark literary criticism, and some sizzling poetry. Part 2: The New England Renaissance (1840–1855) 75 7 77 The Sage of Concord: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) Learn why Emerson is the key intellectual and philosophical voice of 19th­ century America and see what Transcendentalism was all about. 8 87 Nature Boy: Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) Take a trip to Walden Pond and discover how Thoreau created Walden, a guidebook for life, and "Civil Disobedience," the primer for nonviolent protest. Page v 9 95 Nate the Great: Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) See how Hawthorne cornered the market on sin and guilt, especially as revealed in his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter. 10 107 Just Don't Call Me Hermie: Herman Melville (1819–1891) Read about that whale of a tale, Moby Dick, and see why Herman Meville is ranked as one of America's top novelists, even though few of his contemporaries recognized his genius when he was alive. Part 3: The War Between The States (1855–1865) 117 11 119 The Little Woman Who Started This Great Big War: Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) Find out why Uncle Tom's Cabin was the most influential book of the 19th century. 12 129 Rebel with a Cause: Frederick Douglass (1817–1895) Learn about Frederick Douglass' life and autobiography, The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, a classic testament to courage. 13 137 That Barbaric Yawp: Walt Whitman (1819–1892) See how Walt Whitman created new poetic forms and subjects to fashion a distinctly American idiom. 14 149 The Big Mama of American Literature: Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) Learn why Emily Dickinson is considered the Mother of modern American poetry by reading and analyzing some of her poems. Part 4: Realism and The Frontier (1865–1915) 161 15 163 Samuel Clemens: A.K.A. Mark Twain (1835–1910) Enjoy the writing of Samuel Langhorne Clemens ("Mark Twain"), America's greatest humorist. 16 179 Life Is Short and Then You Die: Stephen Crane (1871–1900) Slash­and­burn with Stephen Crane, the Naturalist who attacked patriotism, nationalism, individualism, and organized religion to confront the meaningless of the world. 17 193 Three on a Match: The Naturalists Jack London, Frank Norris, and Theodore Dreiser (1890–1925) Look through some decidedly not rose­colored glasses to see the world as these three Naturalists did—a dog­eat­dog existence, marked by survival of the fittest. Page vi 18 207 Color My World: The Local Colorists (1865–1930) Tour 19th­century America with the regional writers Bret Harte, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Sarah Orne Jewett, Kate Chopin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Willa Cather. 19 219 Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Edith Wharton and Henry James Learn about these two elegant writers who probed the interplay of emotion in a society that censured free expression. Part 5: Modern Literature (1915–1945) 229 20 231 Macho, Macho Man: Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) Read about one of the towering figures of 20th­century literature, a man whose life was as influential as his writing. 21 247 Party Hearty: F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) Join the fun as Fitzgerald dances and drinks the night away, and still manages to write a classic or two (until the party crashes). 22 261 Mint Juleps, Moonlight, and Madness: William Faulkner (1897–1962) See how America's foremost Southern writer constructed his own setting. 23 271 Three Big Deals: Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and John Steinbeck Find out how the two most influential modern poets changed the landscape of 20th­century American literature. And let's not forget one of America's most famous novelists, John Steinbeck. 24 289 A Pack of Poets (1900–1960) Discover the poems of Robert Frost, e.e. cummings, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Carl Sandburg, Edgar Lee Masters, and Vachel Lindsay. 25 303 The Harlem Renaissance (1915–1929) Learn about the cultural rebirth of African­American literature through the writing of Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Countée Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, Jean Toomer, and Claude McKay. 26 315 Cult Figures (1945­Present) See how the Beat writers, the Confessional poets, and novelist and short story writer J.D. Salinger reflected the hidden anguish of the 1950s. Page vii 27 329 Horror and Humor (1930–1960) Explore the dark and light sides of American literature through the macabre stories ofFlannery O'Connor and the witty tales of humorists James Thurber and Dorothy Parker. Part 6: Contemporary Literature (1946­Present) 28 341 Jewish­American Literature Saul Bellow, Erica Jong, Norman Mailer, Bernard Malamud, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Philip Roth, and Elie Wiesel are the headliners here. 29 353 Contemporary African­American Literature the giants of modem African­American literature:Ralph Ellison, fames Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Jamaica Kincaid. 30 365 Modern Canadian Literature It's no surprise that a country this big produces so many great writers! Survey Canada's rich literary heritage, including the writing of Stephen Leacock, Alfred Purdy, Pierre Berton, Mavis Gallant, Margaret Laurence, Mordecai Richler, Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood, and Michael Ondaatje. 31 377 Native­American, Latino­American, and Asian­American Literature Sample our cultural richness in the works ofN. Scott Momaday, William Least Heat Moon, Leslie Mormon Silko, Louise Erdrich, Richard Rodriguez, Denise Chavez, Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Amy Tan. 32 389 New Frontiers See how John