American Literature



American Literature M. D'Antonio

Assignment sheet #1: Romanticism

Each reading / writing assignment is due on the date listed below. Remember that there may be unannounced reading quizzes. Feel free to read ahead, but always review the assigned reading before class. You must bring your text to class with you. The questions that accompany each assignment will guide your reading and prepare you for class discussion.

|September 9 |Brief introduction to the Colonial Period |

| |Read "The Puritans in New England" and Anne Bradstreet poems (handout). |

| |What Puritan values are reflected in these three poems? |

|September 12 |Introduction to Hawthorne |

| |Read "Young Goodman Brown" in Great American Short Stories (53-68) |

| |How would you define the central conflict of the story? What does his journey symbolize? What does the story suggest |

| |about human nature? What distinction does Hawthorne make between nature and civilization? |

|September 13 |Introduction to The Scarlet Letter |

| |Read chapters 1-4 in The Scarlet Letter (45-70) |

| |What does the opening description of the setting tell the reader about the society in which the story takes place? |

| |Describe the layers of punishment that Hester Prynne is experiencing. |

|September 14 |Read chapters 5-8 in The Scarlet Letter (71-103) |

| |What can you discover about the Puritan concept of sin? How does Hawthorne view sin and sinners? |

|September 16 |Vocabulary quiz #1 [abashed-adroit] |

| |Read chapters 9-11 in The Scarlet Letter (104-128) |

| |How is Dimmsdale punished for his sin? Whose punishment is worse - his or Hester's? |

|September 19 |Your summer reading journal is due. |

| |Read chapters 12-15 in The Scarlet Letter (129-158) |

| |What important symbols surface in this section? Explore how these symbols are interpreted by different characters. |

|September 20 |Read chapters 16-19 in The Scarlet Letter (159-186) |

| |What is Hawthorne suggesting about the natural world in this section? |

|September 21 |Distribute essay topics for The Scarlet Letter |

| |Read chapters 20-22 in The Scarlet Letter (187-214) |

| |What is the role of appearances and clothing in this section? What does it tell you about Puritan society? |

|September 23 |Vocabulary quiz #2 [adulation - amenity] |

| |Read chapters 23-24 in The Scarlet Letter: (215-228) |

| |Hawthorne equates love and hate (225) - how does this concept play out in the relationships of the characters in the |

| |novel? |

|September 26 |Final discussion of The Scarlet Letter |

| |Thesis statements for The Scarlet Letter due |

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|September 27 |Introduction to Romanticism |

| |The Scarlet Letter as a Romantic novel (Hawthorne as a Dark Romantic) |

| |Read Bryant's "Thanatopsis", Poe's "Sonnet to Science", and Whitman's "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" |

|September 28 |Read "Rip Van Winkle" in Great American Short Stories (33-51) |

| |What elements of Romanticism do you recognize in this story? |

|September 30 |Vocabulary quiz #3 [amorous - apocalypse] |

| |Read "The Fall of the House of Usher" in Great American Short Stories (69-91) |

| |How does Poe's Romanticism compare with Hawthorne's? Identify specific examples of overlap and of difference. |

|October 3 |Test on Romanticism, including The Scarlet Letter , poems, and short stories |

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