The Romantic Period of American Literature (2)

I. Fill in the blanks.

1. __________ is famous for writing stories about the sea and the islands of the Southern Pacific. In his master

piece __________, he tells a story of a whaling voyage which is set a symbolic account of the conflict between man and his fate.

2. Edgar Allan Poe’s poem __________ is perhaps the best example of onomatopoeia in the English language.

3. Most of __________’s stories can be roughly divided into two kinds: tales of Gothic horror or grotesque like

The Cask of Amontillado and The Black Cat, ; while the other is stories of ratiocination such as __________.

4. Edgar Allan Poe’s poem __________ was published in 1845 as the title poem of a collection.

5. Ralph __________ Emerson was responsible for bringing Transcendentalism to New England.

6. Emerson’s truest disciple, the man who put into practice many of Emerson’s theories, was Henry __________

Thoreau.

7. In 1845, Thoreau began a two-year residence at __________ Pond.

8. A superb book __________ came out of Thoreau’s two-year experiment at Walden Pond.

9. From Thoreau’s Concord jail experience, came his famous essay __________.

10. Hester Prynne is the heroine in Hawthorne’s novel __________.

11. __________ was a great American Transcendentalist and revolutionary Romanticist, whose first book Nature

is the fundamental document of his philosophy.

12. In 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne brought out his masterpiece __________, the story of a triangular love affair in

colonial America.

13. Herman Melville’s novel __________ is a tremendous chronicle of a whaling voyage in pursuit of a

seemingly supernatural white whale.

14. For the whole 19th century __________ was the only woman poet who enjoys high academic esteem today.

She was acclaimed as a poet of philosophical and tragic dimensions, a poet who was responsive to the challenging questions of man, nature and human consciousness.

15. In 1836, a little book came out which made a tremendous impact on the intellectual life of America. It was

entitled Nature by __________.

16. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay __________ has been regarded as “American’s Declaration of Intellectual

Independence”. It called on American writers to write about America in a way peculiarly American.

17. Another renowned New England Transcendentalist was __________, a friend of Ralph Waldo Emerson and

his junior by some 14 years.

18. The way in which __________ wrote The Scarlet Letter suggests that American Romanticism adapted itself

to American puritan moralism.

19. Herman Melville’s world classic novel Moby Dick was dedicated to __________, a novelist.

20. Herman Melville is best known as the author of one book named __________, which is, critics have agreed,

one of the world’s greatest masterpieces.

21. To Helen was written by Edgar Allan Poe to express his admiration for __________.

22. Please write down the meter of Sonnet---- To Science: __________.

23. The major principles of Whitman’s technique are __________ and phonetic recurrence.

24. Walt Whitman broke free from the traditional iambic pentameter and wrote __________ (the lack of meter

and rhyme).

25. In theme Poe anticipated twentieth-century literature in his treatment of disintegration of the self in a world of

T. S. Eliot’s “__________”, a world where there is neither joy, nor love, nor light, nor peace, nor help from pain.

26. Poe’s fictional characters are mostly __________, who are either like Melville’s “isolators,” with no sense of

their identity, no name, no place nor parentage, dislocated, alienated from society, or a criminal who attempts to establish his sense of identity by the crime that he commits, or a bereaved lover.

27. Poe’s contribution to ___________ symbolist poetry was made not primarily through his poetry but his stories

and his criticism.

28. In his “__________”, Whitman revealed a world of equality without rank and hierarchy.

29. In America, modern American poets like __________ and __________ would not have been what they were

without Whitman.

30. Emily Dickinson’s mode of expression is characterized by clear-cut and delicately __________ imagery,

precise diction, and fragmentary and enigmatic metrical pattern.

31. Hawthorne showed a great interest in the problems of __________ and evil.

32. Melville and Hawthorne represented a position of __________ humanism in their time.

33. Like Hawthorne, Melville held a __________ view of the world.

34. Melville managed to achieve the effect of ambiguity through employing the technique of __________ in his

narratives.

35. The fifth edition of __________were added to by Whitman’s poems of the Civil War and of Lincoln such as

“O Captain! My Captain!”

II. Multiple choices.

1. Transcendentalists took their ideas from _____.

A. Neo-Platonism B. German Romanticism C. Oriental Mysterism D. All of the above

2. As a philosophical and literary movement, _____ flourished in New England from the 1830s to the Civil War.

A. modernism B. rationalism C. sentimentalism D. transcendentalism

3. Transcendentalist doctrines found their greatest literary advocates in _____ and Thoreau.

A. Jefferson B. Emerson C. Freneau D. Oversoul

4. The appearance of the Scarlet Letter marked the maturity of Nathaniel Hawthorne as a novelist. Soon he

composed the other three important novels including _____, The Blithedale Romance, and The marble Faun.

A. The House of the Seven Gables B. The Prarie

C. The Fall of the House of Usher D. Walden

5. __________ was the most leading spirit of the Transcendental club.

A. Thoreau B. Emerson C. Hawthorne D. Whitman

6. Transcendentalists recognized _____ as the “highest power of the soul”.

A. intuition B. logic C. data of the senses D. thinking

7. Herman Melville’s _____ is not only an adventure story, but also a significant philosophical work on spiritual

exploration.

A. Moby Dick B. The Egg C. Nature D. The Oversoul

8. A new ______ had appeared in England in the last years of the 18th century. It spread to continental Europe

and then came to America early in the 19th century.

A. Realism B. Critical realism C. Romanticism D. Naturalism

9. In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe published his third book Poems by Edgar Allan Poe in New York, which consisted

of his best poems, like _____ and The City in the Sea.

A. To a Waterfowl B. To a Caty-Did C. To Helen D. The Wild Honey Suckle

10. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s first book _____ is the fundamental document of his philosophy, and expresses his

constant, deeply felt love for the natural scenes.

A. Walden B. Nature C. Daisy Miller D. Leather stocking Tales

11. Poe’s first collection of short stories is _____.

A. Tales of a Traveler B. Leatherstocking Tales

C. Canterbury Tales D. Tales of Grotesque and Arabesque

12. Which book is not written by Ralph Waldo Emerson?

A. Representative Men B. English Traits C. Nature D. The Rhodora

13. Which essay is not written by Ralph Waldo Emerson?

A. Of Studies B. Self Reliance

C. The American Scholar D. The Divinity School Address

14. From Herry David Thoreau’s jail experience, came his famous essay, _____ which states Thoreau’s belief that

no man should violate his conscience at the command of a government.

A. Walden B. Nature C. Civil Disobedience D. Common Sense

15. The finest example of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s symbolism is the recreation of Puritan Boston in _____.

A. The Scarlet Letter B. Young Goodman Brown

C. The Marble Faun D. The Ambitious Guest

16. The House of Seven Gables is a famous mystery-haunted novel written by _____.

A. Nathaniel Hawthorne B. Nathaniel Hawthorne

C. Nathanial Hawthorne D. Nathanial Hawthorne

17. Nathaniel Hawthorne is a master of psychological insight and the central subject of his major works is the

human soul. Choose his short story from the following ones.

A. Young Goodman Brown B. Omoo

C. Uncle Tom’s Cabin D. The Pearl

18. Which is not Nataniel Hawthorne’s novel?

A. The Scarlet Letter B. The Marble Faun

C. The Blithedale Romance D. The House of Seven Gables

E. Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment

19. Herman Melville called his friend Nathaniel Hawthorne _____ American literature.

A. The largest brain with the largest heart B. Father of American poetry

C. The transcendentalist D. The American scholar

20. Which is the character who appears in the novel Moby Dick?

A. Hester Prynne B. Mr. Hooper C. Ahab D. Pearl

21. _____ was a romanticized account of Melville’s stay among the Polynesians. The success of the book soon

made Melville become known as the “man who lived among cannibals”.

A. Moby Dick B. Typee C. Omoo D. Billy Budd

22. Choose the authors who belong to the romantic group in American literature.

A. Ralph Waldo Emerson B. Henry David Thoreau

C. nathaniel Hawthorne D. Herman Melville

E. Walt Whitman F. All of the above

23. “The universe is composed of Nature and the soul… Spirit is present everywhere”. This is the voice of the

book Nature written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which pushed American romanticism into a new Phase, the phase of New England _____.

A. Romanticism B. Transcendentalism C. Naturalism D. Symbolism

24. There is a good reason to state that New England transcendentalism was actually _____ on the Puritan soil.

A. Romanticism B. Puritanism C. Mysticism D. Unitarianism

25. _____ is regarded as the Bible of New England Transcendentalism.

A. Nature B. Walden C. On Beauty D. Self-reliance

26. _____ is regarded as the “Declaration of Intellectual Independence?”

A. The American Scholar B. English Traits C. The Conduct of Life D. Representative Men

27. Choose from the following items the one written by Melville Herman.

A. Typee B. The Sea-Wolf C. The Spy D. Twice-Told Tales

28. Herman Melville’s _____ is an encyclopedia of everything history, philosophy, religion, etc, in addition to a

detailed account of the operations of the whaling industry.

A. The old Man and the Sea B. Moby Dick

C. White Jacket D. Billy Budd

29. In Sonnet ----To Science and To Helen Poe used the images of _____.

A. daughter of Old time B. Vulture C. Helen D. Psyche E. All of the above

30. How many editions of Leaves of Grass did Whitman publish?

A. One B. Three C. Six D. Nine

31. _____ was a great influence on Whitman.

A. Henry David Thoreau B. James Fennimore Cooper

C. Nathaniel Hawthorne D. Ralph Waldo Emerson

32. Where did Dickinson die?

A. At her family home in Amherst B. In a hospital in Rochester, Minnesota

C. In a hotel in Washington, DC D. At sea, while traveling to visit her nephew in France

33. As what does Fortunato dress for the carnival?

A. A bullfighter B. A black-masked villain

C. A French musketeer D. A court jester

34. In what century is the story of Hester Prynne set?

A. The seventeenth century B. The sixteenth century

C. The nineteenth century D. The eighteenth century

35. Where do Hester and Chillingworth live before coming to America?

A. Amsterdam B. Paris C. Edinburgh D. Jamaica

36. How does Hester support herself financially?

A. As a prostitute B. As a seamstress C. As a nurse D. As a farmhand

37. What does Hester’s letter “A” eventually come to represent to the townspeople?

A. “Alone” B. “Able” C. “Avaricious” D. “Absolutely Admirable”

38. What is the name of Ahab’s ship?

A. The Town-Ho B. The Rachel C. The Pequod D. The Samuel Enderby

39. How does the Pequod sink?

A. She is rammed by Moby Dick B. She is overloaded with oil

C. She gets lost in a storm D. She is rammed by another ship.

40. _____represented a position of tragic humanism in their time.

A. Irving and Cooper B. Melville and Hawthorne

C. Whitman and Dickinson D. Emerson and Thoreau

41. For what were whales primarily hunted?

A. Oil B. Skin C. Meat D. Fins

42. Which body part has Ahab lost to Moby Dick?

A. His leg B. His arm C. His eye D. His fingers

43. During the Civil War, Whitman held several jobs. Which of the following was not one of them?

A. Journalist B. Nurse C. Soldier D. Poet

44. How many poems were discovered among Dickinson's belongings after she died?

A. Nearly three hundred B. Nearly 1,800

C. Nearly 8,500 D. None; the unpublished poems were never found.

45. What animal is “public” in “I'm Nobody”?

A. A frog B. A snake C. A bird D. A bee

46. What is the occupation of the narrator of The Scarlet Letter?

A. Attorney B. Minister C. Land surveyor D. Customs officer

47. With whom has Chillingworth been living before he appears in Boston?

A. Native Americans B. Another band of Puritans

C. Spanish settlers in Florida D. Canadian fur trappers

48. In what city do Hester and Pearl live?

A. Salem B. Providence C. Boston D. Hartford

49. What does Chillingworth pretend to be?

A. A minister B. A doctor C. A madman D. A scholar

50. From what is Ahab’s false leg made?

A. A whale’s jawbone B. Wood C. An elephant’s tusk D. Leather

51. How do Hester and Dimmesdale plan to escape their suffering?

A. By going to live with the Native Americans B. By committing suicide

C. By killing Chillingworth D. By boarding a ship bound for Europe

52. How does Pearl acknowledge Dimmesdale as her father at his death?

A. By kissing him B. By interrupting his sermon

C. By calling him “father” D. By announcing that she has seen him with her mother

53. In O Captain! My Captain!, Walt Whitman used the following images except _____.

A. visual image B. audio image C. sensory image D. kinaesthetic image

54. What figures of speech are used in “Science! True daughter of Old Time thou art”?

A. symbolism B. personification C. inversion D. Both B and C

55. Dickinson’s poems are concerned about _____.

A. death and immortality B. nature C. love D. ethics E. all of the above

III. Match the following authors with their works correctly.

A B

1. The Blithedale Romance a. Hawthorne

2. The Autobiography b Melville

3. “The Indian Burying Ground” c. Benjamin Franklin

4. “The American Scholar” d. Edgar Allan Poe

5. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow e. Philip Freneau

6. Evangeline f. Henry David Thoreau

7. The Pathfinder g. Ralph Waldo Emerson

8. Walden h. James Fennimore Cooper

9. The Black Cat i. Washington Irving

10.Typee j. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A B

1. The House of the Seven Gables a. Hawthorne

2. Poor Richard’s Almanac b. Melville

3. The wild Honey Suckle” c. Benjamin Franklin

4. “The Divinity School Address” d. Edgar Allan Poe

5. The Sketch Book e. Philip Freneau

6. The Song of Hiawatha f. Henry David Thoreau

7. The Deer-slayer g. Ralph Waldo Emerson

8. Walden h. James Fennimore Cooper

9. The Fall of the House of Usher i. Washington Irving

10. Omoo j. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

IV. Short answer questions:

1. What does Walden symbolize?

2. What does the title of Chapter 2 “where I lived, and what I lived for” mean?

3. What writing techniques did Edgar Allan Poe use in The Cask of Amontillado?