ENGLISH 255 EXAM 2 STUDY PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

ENGLISH 255 EXAM 2 STUDY PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Rip Van Winkle - CORRECT ANSWER-Washington Irving (1819) Rip's Themes: historical transformation: From King George to George Washington, monarchy to nation state, imperial subject to national citizen, oral culture to print culture, petticoat government to freedom (especially since he loses his nagging wife and achieves the freedom of bachelor status), youth to old man. But, Rip ~does~ see a "ditto" of himself: his son. Even as history changes and apparently progresses, its rupture is smoothed out into repetition. You are, after all, just replacing one George with another. (Rip goes to sleep before the revolution, wakes up in about the 1790s) He now hurried forth, and hastened to his old resort, the little village inn—but it too was gone. A large rickety wooden building stood in its place, with great gaping windows, some of them broken, and mended with old hats and petticoats, and over the door was painted, "The Union Hotel, by Jonathan Doolittle." Instead of the great tree which used to shelter the quiet little Dutch inn of yore, there now was reared a tall naked pole, with something on the top that looked like a red nightcap, and from it was fluttering a flag, on which was a singular assemblage of stars and stripes—all this was strange and incomprehensible. He recognized on the sign, however, the ruby face of King George, under which he had smoked so many a peaceful pipe, but even this was singularly metamorphosed. The red coat was changed for one of blue and buff, a sword was stuck in the hand instead of a scepter, the head was decorated with a cocked hat, and underneath was painted in large characters, GENERAL WASHINGTON. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - CORRECT ANSWERWashington Irving (1820) Set in then 1790s. Dreamy place; a place that seems to exist outside of reality. A fixed point in time that is stagnant; the product of "still water." Profitability as filtered through the self. Brom Van Brunt (Brom Bones) versus Ichabod Crane: Masculinity versus femininity old dutch traditions versus yankee progress oral storytelling versus print culture farming/yeoman republic versus the market/consumerism Although Brom gets the girl, Crane gets out. He progresses. Sleepy Hollow can't progress. Ichabod is the ultimate consumer. "The pedagogue's mouth watered, as he looked upon this sumptuous promise of luxurious winter fare. In his devouring mind's eye, he pictured to himself every roasting-pig running about with a pudding in his belly, and an apple in his mouth; the pigeons were snugly put to bed in a comfortable pie, and tucked in with a coverlet of crust; . . . and the ducks pairing cozily in dishes, like snug married couples, with a decent competency of onion sauce." Dutch Tales - CORRECT ANSWER-The Sketch Book, which contained Rip Van Wrinkle and Sleepy Hollow, was a periodical work that consisted of essays and stories, usually with a travel theme. The recurring narrator throughout them is Geoffrey Crayon. Although it is the first "American" lit, it almost entirely takes place in England, and imitates British forms. The Dutch Tales take place in America. Washington Irving was the first "professional" American author. He was a new type of American, because he was never British and had no memory of the Revolution. United the country because everyone bought the book...even as the Missouri Compromise (1820) split it. Dutch tales and romanticism: there is a supernatural element but irving does not try to dissect it; he just accepts it. Sleepy Hollow is an enigma. The Black Hole - CORRECT ANSWER- Contact and early colonization --- North American settlement - -- Creole colonial culture --- rev. and post-rev. period --- black hole --- American Renaissance War of 1812 occurred in this period. England is no longer mother, but brother. American Renaissance - CORRECT ANSWER- F. O. Matthiessen: Coined the "American Renaissance" in 1941 with his book, The American Renaissance. based on five different American authors (Whitman, Emerson, Thoreau, Melville, Hawthorne) and saw this as a time of flourish in American history Antebellum Period - CORRECT ANSWER-, period before the civil war. Also known as the Market Revolution or the American Renaissance. Market Revolution (Consumption side of capitalism) - CORRECT ANSWER-Opposite of the Yeoman Republic: the creation of two separate classes of people, producers and consumers. Instead of people producing their own stuff. In relation to Irving and the War of 1812: Shift from Agrarian economy to Market economy, Rip Van Wrinkle literally goes to bed in one and wakes up in the other. National market emerges; things are made in the US and not imported, and circulated in a cohesive way. Emergence of a national book culture: books are now made in America and circulated widely. Before, you would have a relationship to your local community, and to England (since shit came in from Enlgand), but now you have a tie to AMERICA. Rise of nationalism. Industrialization (production side of capitalism) - CORRECT ANSWER-Perhaps Tartarus of Maids side of things? Things were cyclical in this time; people would produce paper to write, and then read what was written on them. The Times - CORRECT ANSWER-Edward Clay (1837): America industrializes; demonstrates the chaos that comes with that. The balloon exploding/losing air has the word "capital" on