4. Amercan Literature.docVIP

4. American Literature the story of a quest in American literature American literature has recorded the story of a quest, and is the continuous narrative of the “pursuit of happiness” At different times the quest has taken different forms. a) In the 16th century Europeans came to the New World in search of gold and treasure and the passage to the East. b) At times the quest was a religious pilgrimage like that of the Puritans and the Mormons. c) The dreams of success have drawn many people from farms and small towns to cities in the hope of winning fame and fortune. d) Still other Americans were simply restless. They believed in “being on the road” Washington Irving-------post-Revolutionary period History of New York------is supposedly an account of the Dutch settlement of Manhattan Island Works Father Knickerbocker------American’s first myth-hero Rip Van Winkle The Legend of Sleepy Hollow The Alhambra Tour on the Prairies-------showed Irving’s interest in the literary possibilities of the West Fenimore Cooper The Spy------an exciting story of espionage in New York during the Revolution Works The Pioneers------ Cooper hit his stride as an author The Leather-stocking Tales The Last of the Mohicans The Prairie The Pathfinder The Deerslayer The American Democrat----- Cooper continued his examination of American civilization in a more direct fashion Edgar Allan Poe a. Introduction: The greatest southern writer in pre-Civil War American; the master of the tightly wound tale of psychological horror; he invented the detective story with his detective-hero, Dupin, foreshadowing Sherlock Holmes; he developed a theory of poetic composition which emphasized tightness of form and unity of tone. b. Works: The Fall of the House of Usher, William Wilson, The Pit and the Pendulum Wiki: an American a