ASSIGNMENT #3

Romantic Period was an artistic and literary movement which was originated in Europe in the late eighteenth century. The Romantic Period in English literature is taken to begin with the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridge`s Lyrical Ballads and end with the novelist Sir Walter Scott's death. Even though the works of J.J. Rousseau and W. Godwin had great influence, the French Revolution and its consequences had the strongest impact of all. This started as a revolt against social and political norms of the time, so it was associated with liberalism and radicalism. Also it had a great impact in different areas such as music (one of the earliest important applications of the term to music occurs in 1789, in the Mémoires of André Grétry), visual arts (used to refer loosely to a trend that appears at any time) and literature (this movement was started by the publication in 1798 of Lyrical Ballads, with many of the finest poems by Wordsworth and Coleridge).

On the other hand, it is necessary to understand the meaning of romanticism and from which comes the word. It is possible to rely on the statement given by Cuddon J. (1991) who says “A roman or romant came to be known as an imaginative work and a 'courtly romance'. The terms also signified a 'popular book'”; while Whitney (2000) added:

The word romantic (ism) has a complex and interesting history. In the Middle Ages 'romance' denoted the new vernacular languages derived from Latin - in contradistinction to Latin itself, which was the language of  learning. Enromancier, romancar, romanz meant to compose or translate books in the vernacular. The work produced was then called romanz, roman, romanzo and romance.

Romanticism emphasizes everything that was not seen before such as feelings and emotions, so now the heart governs over the mind; natural places began to be a point of inspiration for both poems and paintings, the supernatural began to have their space and mode of expression. No other period in English literature displays more diversity in style, theme, and content than the Romantic Movement. The German poet Friedrich Schlegel, who is given credit for first using the term romantic to describe literature, defined it as "literature depicting emotional matter in an imaginative form."

Nevertheless, the Romantic period’s aims are related with art, not beauty but the expression and feelings which can open wider horizons. It has, in fact, been defined in so many different ways. In addition, the right to individual and collective freedom is developed; this is subjective, expressing deepest feelings. Besides, the romanticism seeks to break the classic rules. Just the novel is based on objectivity, and it seeks to reproduce life accurately, so it is immersed in the environment and society.  Romantic works are characterized by a mix of genres, the combination of verse and prose, and the use of different metrical structures in the same poem. Literary genres in the romanticism are: poetry, fiction, prose and drama.

Therefore, poetry is a literary genre considered as a manifestation of beauty or artistic feeling through words using verse or prose (prose is opposed to verse because it has no metrical rhythm, or repetition, and rhyme). Often, term poetry is used as synonymous with lyrical, although from a historical point of view it is a subgenre of poetry.  Moreover, It is called fiction to reality simulation that perform literary and cinematographic works while the drama is a word that comes from Greek and means to act; it is divided into realistic and unrealistic genres without forgetting that it is also called drama to the work that includes certain elements, especially when you have a terrible, tragic and catastrophic end.

Finally, it is possible to mention some examples of romantic English poets are William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats; and some American poets are Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, Henry David Thoreau, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman. Besides, there are Romantic essayists such as Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, and Thomas De Quincey.

References:

Whitney E. (2000). What is Romanticism? Retrieved May 18, 2013 from http://www.uh.edu/engines/romanticism/introduction.html.  University of Houston

CUDDON J. (1991) The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. Third Edition. London: Penguin Books

Wikipedia Foundation, Inc (2013). Romanticism. Retrieved May 19, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism

ASSIGNMENT #2

Colonial literature was developed in America in the colonial times, that is, in the post-Conquest, between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. In general, writers took the literary patterns existing in Europe at the time, and most of them were adapted to the local vocabulary because the dominance of the English language was hardly predictable. 

The writings of the colonial period are very important because they are the first step in literature of that period. It would not be fair to talk about bad writing by the quality or items containing in the books, because men probably had more important work to do before making or writing books. It must be taken into account, when the English people came to America were faced with extreme and a little exciting conditions for them. In fact, they were faced with unknowns things like flora, fauna, Indians, and in general to a new world that opened the doors to its culture. Probably, it was this kind of thing which stimulated their intellectual power and motivated them to write and tell to the world about their experiences.

Furthermore, America began its history around 1607 when a group of English sailors travelled to an unknown land and landing in a city which is now known as Virginia, at that time called Jamestown. At first, these trips were inspired by Spanish settlers who had found gold in South America, so the Englishmen thought that with this trip they would have the opportunity to get rich. 

However, they had a big disappointment because gold was not found there and they just came to a hostile environment that discouraged them but John Smith was who changed that idea and so everyone could be saved from devastating famine. Then, around 1619 the Africans, who were mostly slaves, travelled in inadequate and extreme conditions, but in order to look for a better quality of life they decided to accept those trips and they came to America. 

Besides, in 1620 a ship called Mayflower transported 102 English Pilgrims from England to America. They decided to renounce to the Church of England and they came with a different point of view, they kept in mind an special mission, they were called Puritans; this group of men and women were headed by William Bradford. In addition, in the ship mentioned before, it was signed an agreement on November 11, it was called The Mayflower Compact. It was a social agreement in which the settlers at New Plymouth followed the rules stipulated there and it regulated everything for the sake of survival. 

On the other hand, since the establishment of Jamestown American culture has been heavily influenced by English culture. A good example is the literature. In 1700 the output of English literature took an important role, which was developed gradually. The early writings were mostly religious texts, and even produced some of Puritan literature. 

Finally, it is important to mention that "The state of American literature in 1700, consisting of only about 250 published works, reflects the pressing religious, security, and cultural concerns of colonial life. Printing presses operated in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Annapolis, and colonists could also acquire works published in England". (Ramirez, B.). The first American author was Captain John Smith with his works: A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Noate as Hath Happened in Virginia (1608) and The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles (1624). Some examples of works in colonial period are: John Winthrop made the first entry in his Journal on board the ship Arbella (on March 29, 1630), Bay Psalm Book (1640), Journal called "History of Plymouth Plantation" (1620-47), Wonder-Working Providence (1654),), Day of Doom (1662), Magnalia Christi Americana (1702), History of the Dividing Line run in the Year (1728), etc. 

References:

Canada, M. (2001). Colonial America: 1607 – 1783. Retrieved April 11, 2013 from http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/16071783/index.htm 

·   W.W Norton & Company (2007) Overview: Beginning to 1700. Retrieved April 12, 2013 from http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/naal7/contents/A/welcome.asp#1

   Ramirez, B. (unknown). American Literature: Beginning to 1700. Article to Cultura Estadounidense a través de la literatura. Católica del Maule University: Chile.

·   Wikipedia Foundation, Inc (2013). American Literature. Retrieved April 13, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_literature

ASSIGNMENT #1

Literature like any of the arts is a personal reflection of a society. It helps to understand or know social ideas, emotional status, or just the point of view of the people. In my opinion, it is an internal voice produced by the thought processes around it. Also, I believe that there different kind of writers who are able to capture or create stories and they reach deeply into the human spirit in order to develop wonderful books.


In this course I would like to know more about American culture and literature. It is difficult to capture all the ideas, but I will make the effort to learn, know and internalize everything that happened in this important moment in history. When I read the syllabus I could realize how important elements make up this part of the story and how each of them takes a key role as the course progresses.


Honestly, last year when I heard about literature, it was not very nice but over time I began to realize that when you know the literature from the deepest this is a beautiful thing to learn.


Since I have 6 years I have read different kinds of books, novels, cartoons, fables, stories, etc. As time passed, I understood the real meaning to read and how much the books could teach and guide me in my growth process. At school, I had to read books every month and more than a pleasure, it became boring and tedious. Despite, when I was young I started reading interesting books for my age which drew me many lessons but when I finished my high school I did not read again until now.


During this time I have developed an enjoyment for literature, especially romance novels, being one of my favorite Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austen. She was a British writer who was a pioneer of the genre, romance novels. In broad terms, this is a literary genre and its primary focus is on relationships between two people who are in love. Besides, happy endings are the most expected and desired.


The stories transfer me to a parallel world where everything is possible. They make me feel like I am escaping from my life into a world, where everything works out in the end, with happy and fantastic results. It seems like I could leave for a moment this earthly world that goes beyond dream things. However, these kinds of stories have a plot, characters, context, etc. like any book that will be developed through different situations. In addition, these novels help me to believe that a better world is possible if we fight for.


These recent years, I think I have developed a very positive thinking about literature. I am an optimistic and hopeful person who believes that writers of every generation will bring their own gifts, thoughts and ideas to the world through literature.

ANIMAL FARM

Animal Farm is an allegorical novel written by George Orwell . It was published in 1945 in England. It portrayed many topics, but in this case we are going to focus in vocabulary and language used in this book. The way in which language can be manipulated as an instrument of power and control is amazing. Orwell tried to develop a novel in a satiric way so he used a different language and vocabulary and he developed his ideas through animal as characters. First of all, pigs had been studying so they learned human language better than others animals. It was a weapon against the rest of the animal because they were able to control and take the power of the farm. Besides, they learned to write so they decided to create some rules which were used in favor of pigs. If all animals had studied and learned human language, they would have controlled the farm at the same level of pigs. In this case, we have a clear example “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This outrageous abuse of the word “equal” started to increase while the novel progresses.

The legacy of Poe and Christie: imagination without limits!

Today, reading is necessary for people to develop in many ways.  In many cases, talking to people, there is the issue of reading and the pleasure that many have for reading, but why should this interest? They are often quite specific authors who get our attention and help to generate that love of reading. Their manner of writing and to create, lead us to imagine infinity of situations, characters, settings, etc. which is the cause that people develop this attraction. This is why a comparison is made between the writing styles of Edgar Allan Poe and Agatha Christie, taking into account several points.

First of all, we need to know these two great writers. Edgar Allan Poe was born on 1809 and died on 1849, writer, American poet and critic, best known as the first master of short fiction, especially horror and mystery. Regarding the structure and method for constructing a good story, Edgar Allan Poe once said: "To my mind, first of all considerations must be the intended effect of the cause. Having always displayed originality, I say, first of all, among the innumerable effects or impressions that are capable of receiving the heart, intelligence, or, generally speaking, the soul, what will be the one I should choose to write the story? As for "The Gold Bug," Poe immerses the reader in an atmosphere of adventure and mystery through expository-argumentative language.

Second, Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller married Archibald Christie, whereby she received the surname of her husband and today she is known as Agatha Christie. She was born in 1890 and died in 1976. She was an English writer specializing in police and romantic genres. Her 79 novels and dozens of short stories were translated into almost every language. Her classic characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple were very popular.  In her autobiography, Agatha Christie admits to never really having a place or room which was specifically to write in. All she said she needed was a steady table and a typewriter, quite often just the dining room table. Christie creates about 6 or 8 characters whose are involved in different situations. In addition, her stories have false clues that lead the reader interested in solving the cases, which change from one moment to another.

On the other hand, the stories have more differences than similarities. The Gold Bug is developed on a small island fourteen kilometers from Charleston in America. In contrast The Million Dollar Bond Robbery takes place in London and Scottish Bank. In the first one the narrator tells the story of William Legrand who has financial problems and he had to live in a hut. He used to go hiking with his big dog and his African servant named Jupiter, but the second one talk about the famous detective Hercule Poirot with his partner Captain Hastings, who solved the theft case without problems. In addition, Poe shows how Legrand and his friends found the treasure because they were following the clues that he had deciphered from the parchment of Captain Kidd. Even though, Poirot also deciphers clues but he does by instinct and not guided by any writing, just for that people's actions are wrong for him. As the stories have different topics, the vocabulary used by writers is also different because Poe uses vocabulary related to pirates and jewelry, whereas Agatha use a vocabulary related to detectives, banks, money, and travel. Even the writers use a different language, which could be explained by the nationality of each. However, in both stories is looking to find something lost, treasure and bonds, and have characters focus on that mission. Likewise the stories keeps readers focused on what will happen because all the narrative is based on these searches.

Moreover, the narrative genre is a literary genre which tells a fictional story when the author may or may not be directly involved. Therefore, what was narrated by Poe and Christie belong to this genre but differ in that one is story and the other is a novel. The first is a short story, which invented a situation with a very simple argument and the content can be varied. In general, its development has few characters on the story and the process becomes very important in the final outcome. Also the story develops values ​​that we can clearly find on The Gold Bug. While the novel is a prose narrative most extensive and complex than the story, in which the story appears complicated or intense plot, and setting up an autonomous world and imaginary. This is the case of The Million Dollar Bond Robbery.

In my opinion, the story and the novel are interesting. The Million Dollar Bond Robbery creates an interest from beginning to end. Since you started reading it, you were interested to know who was the guilty and you pay attention in every clue that could help you to find the suspect as Poirot. I like investigations where the guilty does not appear immediately and when it is not obvious, so you have to develop a whole theory to reach the end. I think the style of Agatha Christie is more for adults than children, as a novel of this type does not draw much attention of kids because it is not fun, entertaining, does not has drawings and does not covers topics of their age.

Finally, I prefer The Gold Bug because it is a really fun story; it is a better option for children who like to read. It generates an interest with topics relates to pirates and treasure hunts. The Gold Bug stimulates my imagination, the book leads me to a distant world where everything is fun and it may be possible, in contrast with the plot of Christie. Also, important lesson leaves me full of values ​​that I could apply to my life, for example Legrand teaches us that we should be perseverant, we should trust in our friends, and we must be leal and faithful because these actions will be rewards in the future.