English 2132: American Literature II: Study Page for Test One

Review Questions

Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

Song of Myself (1881)

What is the speaker's attitude toward himself as a poet? How does he relate his "self" to others?
In what way does this poem communicate a Romantic outlook on the world? How is the poet a hero?
How does the form of the poem represent the speaker's way of looking at the world around him?
What kind of relationship does the speaker seem to want with the reader of his poetry?

“Preface to Leaves of Grass” (1855)

Why do Americans of the time have the "fullest poetical nature"? Why is America itself "the greatest poem"?
What are some qualities of "the great poet" who will best express the "poetical stuff" of America?
Why is candor so important in poetry, for Whitman? What role does the poet play in telling the truth?

Henry James (1843-1916)

“The Art of Fiction” (1884)

What, according to James, is "the supreme virtue of the novel"? Why is this quality so important?
In what ways can fiction tell the "truth"? What is the test of truth in a novel? Is it moral truth?
Why does the novel writer need freedom? By what standard should we measure the quality of a novel?
What is the responsibility of the novelist? What is the responsibility of the reader?

Kate Chopin (1850-1904)

The Awakening (1899)

What is the central dilemma of the protagonist in this novel? How does the novel handle this dilemma?
Why does the point of view of the narrator occasionally take on the thoughts and feelings of Edna?
What is the "awakening"? Whose awakening is it? How does Edna seem to handle her "awakening"?
What is the significance of Edna's efforts to be an artist? What does an artist need to thrive?
How does this novel exhibit the qualities of Realism? Does Edna have a choice in the end?

Stephen Crane (1871-1900)

“The Open Boat” (1897)

Who is the narrator and what is his point of view on the events, being told "after the fact"?
What is the conflict in this work? Are the four main characters in a position to choose their fate?
How does this narrative exhibit the qualities of Naturalism? What is the narrator's attitude toward nature?
How are the details in this work different from the details one might find in a newspaper account?

Jack London (1876-1916)

“To Build a Fire” (1908)

Who is the narrator and what is his point of view on the action? His attitude toward the man?
On what level is the man responsible for his own fate, and on what level is he not?
How does this narrative exhibit the qualities of Naturalism? What is the narrator's attitude toward nature?
How does the author capture the panic and desperation of the man "not much given to thinking"?

“What Life Means to Me” (1905)

In what way does this essay make Jack London seem more idealistic than he seems in "To Build a Fire"?
Does Jack London sympathize with human suffering? How then can he also be considered a Naturalist?

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935)

“The Yellow Wall-paper” (1892)

How do we account for the unconventional surface of this narrative? Is there a narrator, and if so, who is it? Does it have a recognizable plot and story?
How does Gilman help us think about the act of writing as we read this narrative?
How can it be, as we learn at the end of the work, that the woman behind the paper both is and is not, in some sense, Jane herself?

“Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wall-paper'” (1913)

For what expressed purpose did Gilman write "The Yellow Wall-paper"?
What are some features of the narrative that account for its success in achieving this purpose?

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