The Age of RealismI. Fill in the blanks.1.Henry James first achieved recognition as a writer of the “_ International theme _____” --- a story which brings togetherpersons of various nationalities who represent certain characteristics of their country.2.The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn__ was Mark Twain’s masterpiece from which, as Hemingway noted, “all modernAmerican literature comes.”3.The three dominant figures of the American Realistic Period are William Dean Howells, _Mark Twain___, and HenryJames.4.Henry James's emphasis on psychology and on the human consciousness proves to be a big breakthrough in novel writingand has great influence on the coming generations. That is why he is generally regarded as the forerunner of the 20th century “the stream of consciousness”.5.As one of America’s first and foremost realists and humorists, _Mark Twain___, the pen name of Samuel LanghorneClemens, usually wrote about his own personal experiences and things he knew about from firsthand experiences.6._ Henry James _ was a realist, but not a naturalist. He was an observer of the mind rather than a recorder of time. Hisrealism was a special kind of psychological realism.7.One of Clemens’s best books _Life on the Mississippi___ is built around his experiences as a steamboat pilot.8.Mark Twain’s first novel, _The Gilded Age______ was an artistic failure, but it gave its name to the America of thepost-bellum period which it attempted to satirize.9.The impact of Darwin’s evolutionary theory on the American thought and the influence of the 19th century French literatureon the American men of letters gave rise to another school of Realism : American Naturalism.II. Decide whether the statements are true or false.1.In the latter half of the nineteenth century, women som ewhat became the nation’s dominant culture force. T2.In the late nineteenth century, although Americans continued to read the works of Irving, Cooper, Hawthorne, and Poe, thegreat age of American romanticism had ended. T3.The American realists sought to describe the wide range of American experience and to present the subtleties of humanpersonality. T4.Mark Twain had, as his aim of writing, the soul, the life, and the speech of the people in mind. T5.Mark Twain’s later works unmistakably showed his change from an optimist and humorist to an almost despairingdeterminist. T6.The bulk of America’s literary realism was limited to optimistic treatment of the surface of life. F7.American naturalism, like realism, had come from Europe. T8.Mark Twain’s last writin gs revealed the deep grief his personal losses had caused him and reflected the deep cynicism anddisillusionment with his world. T9.Henry James was not only one of the most important realists of the period before the First World War, but also one of themost expert stylists of his time. T10.Henry James’ greatest influence was exerted not on his own age but on the one that followed.T11.Uncle Tom’s Cabin is written with vivid life-description and an enthusiastic political passion. T12.Uncle Tom’s Cabin plays an important role in promoting the political struggle against slavery. T13.Mark Twain’s humor, satire and the unique artistic works are the gems of American literature. T14.Jack London vividly describes the miserable life of the working people. T15.O. Henry uses slang to give force and humor. T16.Jack London tells his story through action rather than through words. T17.Jack London’s prose style is forceful and colorful rather than precise. T18.Henry James was concerned with the moral values. TⅢ. Each of the following statements below is followed by four alternative answers. Choose the one that would best complete the statement.1._ B___ had been an evident influence on Naturalism. It seemed to stress the animal impulse of man, to suggest that manwas dominated by the irresistible forces of evolution.A. UnitarianismB. Origins of SpeciesC. Puritanism and InfluenceD. Capitalist Economy2.Who is called “the true father of our national literature” by the writer H. L. Mencken? BA. Benjamin FranklinB. Mart TwainC. HemingwayD. William Faulkner3.In the first part of the 20th century, apart from Darwinism, which was still a big influence upon the writers of this period,there were two thinkers __A___ whose ideas had the greatest impact on the period.A. the German Karl Marx and the American Sigmund FreudB. the German Karl Marx and the Austrian Sigmund FreudC. the Swiss Car Jung and the American William JamesD. the Austrian Karl Marx and the German Sigmund Freud4.The American realists approached the harsh realities and pressures in the post-Civil war society by _D____.A. a comprehensive picture of modern life in its various occupations, class stratifications and mannersB. a psychological exploration of man’s subcon sciousnessC. a disillusion of heroism resulting from the dark memories of the Civil WarD. both A and B5.By the turn of the century, with the publication of The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg and The Mysterious Stranger, thechange in Mark Twain from ______ to _____ could be felt. CA. an optimist...an almost despairing pessimistB. an almost despairing pessimist...an optimistC. a local colorist...a naturalistD. a naturalist...a local colorist6.The Portrait of a Lady is generally considered to be James’s masterpiece, which _B___.A. incarnates the clash between the Old World and the New in the life journey of an American girl in a European culturalenvironmentB. tells a story about a young and innocent American confronting the complexity of the European lifeC. is about a young American girl who gets “killed” by the winter in RomeD. tells about some Europeans who learn with difficulty to adapt themselves to the American life7.About Henry James’ literary criticism, which of the following is not right? DA. It is both concerned with form and devoted to human values.B. He indicates that the aim of the novel is to present life in every possible form.C. He advocates the freedom of the artist to write about anything that concerns him.D. He believes that the ar tist can’t feel the life, but he can understand human nature in their own way.8.The characters presented by the naturalist writers were _A____.A. more often than not dominated by their environment and heredityB. usually idealized heroes or heroines of unspotted virtue and dazzling accomplishmentsC. in most cases examples of human experienceD. people who were simply all good or all bad9.After the Civil War America was transformed from ______ to ____. AA. an agrarian community … an industrialized and comm ercialized societyB. an agrarian community … a society of freedom and equalityC. a poor and backward society … an industrialized and commercialized societyD. an industrialized and commercialized society … a highly developed society10.Which of the following is said of the American naturalism? DA. They preferred to have their own region and people at the forefront of the stories.B. Their characteristic setting is usually an isolated town.C. Humans should be united because they had to adapt themselves to changing harsh environment.D. Their characters were conceived more or less complex combinations of inherited attributes, their habits conditioned bysocial and economic forces.11.Which of the following is not right about Mark Twain's style of language? AA. His sentence structures are long, ungrammatical and difficult to read.B. His words are colloquial, concrete and direct in effect.C. His humor is remarkable and characterized by puns, straight-faced exaggeration, repetition and anti-climax.D. His style of language had exerted rather deep influence on the contemporary writers.12.Which of the following is not written by Henry James? DA. The Portrait of A Lady and The EuropeansB. The Wings of the Dove and The AmbassadorsC. What Maisie Knows and The BostoniansD. The Genius and The Gilded Age13.By the end of the 19th century, the American realists sought to _____ and therefore rejected the portrayal of idealizedcharacters and events in their writings. DA. describe the wide range of American experienceB. show animal nature of human beingsC. present the subtleties of human personalityD. both A and C14.Which of the following is not right about Mark Twain? CA. In his writings, he made a more extensive combination of American folk humor and serious literature than previouswriters had ever done.B. His The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is usually considered a classic book written for boys about their particular horrorsand joys.C. His caustic and increasingly bleak view of human nature began to appear in his early books.D. As a sequel to Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn marks the climax of his literary creativity.15.One of Henry James’s literary techniques innovated to cater for his psychological emphasis is his__D______.A. technique of stream of consciousnessB. first person narrativeC. author’s participation in narratingD. narrative point of view16.The great American realist Henry James treated with great care ___C______ in the first period.A. ancient European civilization which is satirized severely in his writingsB. the emotional and moral problems of Americans in Europe, or Europeans in AmericaC. the clashes between two different cultures, European and AmericanD. both B and C17.Henry James’s fame generally rests upon his novels and stories with ___D____.A. the love and marriage themeB. the theme of humor and satire on lifeC. the theme of revealing the miserable life of the poor and criticizing the capitalismD. the international theme18.After the Civil War America had been transformed from to . BA. an agrarian community…a society of freedom and equalityB. an agrarian community…an industrialized and commercialized societyC. an industrialized and commercialized society…a highly developed societyD. a poor and backward society…an indu strialized and commercialized society19.The three dominant figures in the period of Realism of America are William Dean Howells, Mark Twain and___A_____.A. Henry JamesB. Tom JamesC. James JoyceD. Henry Joyce20.The use of __D______ in his writings has made Mark Twain one of the major literary figures in the 19th century Americanliterature.A. point of viewB. stream-of-consciousnessC. interior monologueD. vernacular21.___A____ is generally considered to be Henry James’ masterpiece, which incarnates the clash between the Old World andthe New in the life journey of an American girl in a European cultural environment.A. The Portrait of a LadyB. The Golden BowlC. Daisy MillerD. The Turn of the Screw22.Upon the publication of The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg (1900) and The Mysterious Stranger (1916), the change inMark Twain from an optimist to an almost despairing pessimist could be felt and his cynicism and disillusionment with what Twain referred to regularly as the__C_____ became obvious.A. damned slaveryB. damned NegroC. damned human raceD. damned society23.Henry James is generally regarded as the forerunner of the 20th century __D______ novels and the founder of psychologicalrealism.A. localB. colorC. physicalD. stream-of-consciousness24.In the post-Civil War society the American realists portrayed the harsh realities and pressures by __C______.A. a comprehensive picture of modern life in its various occupations, class stratifications and mannersB. a n arrative exploration of man’s subconsciousnessC. a disillusion of heroism resulting from the dark memories of the Civil WarD. a revival of heroism resulting from the glorious memories of the Revolutionary War25.The realistic period is referred to as “the Gilded Age” by __A____.A. Mark TwainB. Henry JamesC. Emily DickinsonD. Theodore Dreiser26.___B___, being a boy’s book specially written for the adults, is Mark Twain’s most representative book.A. Roughing ItB. The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnC. Life on the MississippiD. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer27.As a realist, Mark Twain concerned particularly about the local character of a region, which came about as “__C_____”.A. NaturalismB. TranscendentalismC. Local ColorismD. both A and C28.Realism was a reaction against__B___ or a move away from the bias towards romance and self-creating fictions, and pavedthe way to Modernism.A. RationalismB. RomanticismC. NeoclassicismD. Enlightenment29.Another fact that made __A__ unique is his magic power with language, his use of vernacular. His words are colloquial,concrete and direct in effect, and his sentence structures are simple, even ungrammatical, which is typical of the spoken language.A. TwainB. AndersonC. JamesD. Dreiser30.About Naturalism, which of the following statements is NOT correct? DA. Naturalists chose their subjects from the lower ranks of society.B. They portrayed misery and poverty of the “underdogs”, who were demonstrably victims of society and nature.C. One of the most familiar themes in American Naturalism is the theme of human “bestiality,” especially an explanation ofsexual desire.D. American Naturalism is a reaction against Realism.31.Which of the f ollowing is NOT a typical feature of Henry James’s writing style? DA. Exquisite and elaborate languageB. Minute detailed descriptionC. Lengthy psychological analysisD. American colloquialism32.The Age of Realism is the literary history of the United States refers to the period from to . CA. 1861 – 1914B. 1863 – 1918C. 1865 – 1914D. 1865 – 191833.Who is described by Mark Twain as a boy with "a sound heart and a deformed conscience?" BA. Tom SawyerB. Huckleberry FinnC. JimD. Tony34.Mark Twain, one of the greatest 19th century American writers, is well known for his C .A. international themeB. waste-land imageryC. local colorD. symbolism35.Mark Twain’s ____ tells a story of his boyhood ambitious to become a riverboat pilot, up and down the Mississippi. CA. Roughing ItB. The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnC. Life on the MississippiD. The Adventures of Tom SawyerIV. TermsAmerican RealismIn American literature, the Civil War brought the Romantic Period to an end. The Age of Realism came into existence. It came as a reaction against the lie of romanticism and sentimentalism. Realism turned from an emphasis on the strange toward a faithful rendering of the ordinary, a slice of life as it is really lived. It expresses the concern for commonplace and the low, and it offers an objective rather than an idealistic view of human nature and human experience.Local colorismLocal Colorism or Regionalism as a trend first made its presence felt in the late 1860s and early seventies in America. It may be defined as the careful attegogoms in speech, dress or behavior peculiar to a geographical locality. The ultimate aim of the local colorists is to create the illusion of an indigenous little world with qualities that tell it apart from the world outside. The social and intellectual climate of the country provided a stimulating milieu for the growth of local color fiction in America. Local colorists concerned themselves with presenting and interpreting the local character of their regions. They tended to idealize and glorify, but they never forgot to keep an eye on the truthful color of local life. They formed an important part of the realistic movement. Although it lost its momentum toward the end of the 19th century, the local spirit continued to inspire and fertilize the imagination of author.NaturalismA more deliberate kind of realism in novels, stories and plays, usually involving a view of human beings as passive victims of natural forces and social environment. Naturalism was a new and harsher realism. It developed on the basis of realism but went a step further than it in portraying social reality.V. Questions1.What are the identifying Characteristics of Realistic Writing?2.What is realism? What features does it have? Who are the important representatives?3.Why did Whitman use the style of free verse to write his poetry? What kind of thoughts does Whitman express in his poetry?Find relative information from other sources.ment on Mark Twain’s Features5.What is the most famous theme in Henry James’ fiction? What is his favorite approach in character ization, which makeshim different from Mark Twain and W. D. Howells as realists?6.A ccording to Henry James’ viewpoint, what is the conflict between the American personalities and European personalities?7.What is naturalism? What features does it have? What connections does it have with realism? Who are the representatives?8.What kind of literary position did Jack London hold? What about his literary ideas? Analyze his naturalistic ideas in TheCall of the Wild and Martin Eden.。