美国文学史试题库.doc

Fill in the blanks. American achievements in the short story have demanded international respect and admiration for more than a century and a half. The first successful American short stories came from Washington Irving in the early 19th century. Edgar Allan Poe is generally thought of as the true beginner of the short stories because he was the first writer who formulated a poetics of the short stories. In the 20th century, there have been many who have won fame abroad as well as in the US for their short stories: Sherwood Anderson, Hemingway Faulkner, Anna Porter, and dozens of others. As you read from writer to writer, from Washington Irving’s ‘Rip Van Winkle’ to O’Connner’s ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’, you will see the coming of a short story age, growing from an entertaining tale into a story which probes deep into human souls. Modern literary fiction has been dominated by two forms: the short story and the novel. Washington Irving, the Father of American Literature, developed the short story as a genre in American literature. Allan Poe is usually acknowledged as the originator of detective stories. He is also credited with developing many of the standard features of detective fiction. Multiple choice Edgar Allan Poe wrote poems which are marvels of beauty and craftsmanship, such as ____. A. I Hear America Singing B. The Raven C. To a waterfowl D. The fall of the House of Usher The common thread throughout American literature has been the emphasis on the___. A. revolutionism B. reason C. individualism D. rationalism In American literature, the 18th century was the Age of the Enlightenment, ___ was the dominant spirit. A. humanism B. rationalism C. revolution D. evolution Who was considered the “Poet of American Revolution”? A. Michael Wigglesworth B. Edward Taylor C. Anne Bradstreet D. Philip Freneau Thomas Jefferson’s attitude, that is, a firm belief in pro