1. How did the American Revolution influence the development of American literature in the late 18th and

early 19th centuries? Provide examples of at least three writers who reflected or challenged the ideals of the

revolution in their works.

Answer: The American Revolution was a pivotal event that shaped the identity and values of the new nation.

It also inspired many writers to express their opinions, experiences, and visions of America in various

genres and forms. Some writers who reflected or challenged the ideals of the revolution in their works are:

- Benjamin Franklin, who wrote his Autobiography as a model of self-improvement and civic virtue, as well

as numerous essays and pamphlets on political, scientific, and moral topics.

- Thomas Paine, who wrote Common Sense and The American Crisis to persuade the colonists to rebel

against British tyranny and to support the cause of independence.

- Phillis Wheatley, who wrote poems that celebrated the revolution and praised its leaders, such as George

Washington, while also addressing the issue of slavery and her own status as an African American woman.

2. How did the Transcendentalist movement challenge the dominant literary and cultural norms of the early

19th century America? Provide examples of at least three writers who were influenced by or contributed to

this movement.

Answer: The Transcendentalist movement was a philosophical, religious, and literary movement that

emerged in New England in the 1830s and 1840s. It challenged the dominant literary and cultural norms of

the early 19th century America by promoting individualism, intuition, nature, spirituality, and social reform.

Some writers who were influenced by or contributed to this movement are:

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote essays such as Nature and Self-Reliance that advocated for self-

reliance, nonconformity, and spiritual connection with nature.

- Henry David Thoreau, who wrote Walden and Civil Disobedience that documented his experiment of

living simply and independently in nature, as well as his resistance to unjust laws and institutions.

- Margaret Fuller, who wrote Woman in the Nineteenth Century that argued for women's rights and equality,

as well as edited The Dial, a journal that published many Transcendentalist writings.

3. How did American literature engage with the wider world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?

Provide examples of at least three writers who explored global themes, issues, or perspectives in their

works.

Answer: American literature engaged with the wider world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by

reflecting on the impacts of imperialism, immigration, industrialization, urbanization, modernization, and

war on American society and culture. Some writers who explored global themes, issues, or perspectives in

their works are:

- Mark Twain, who wrote novels such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of

Huckleberry Finn that depicted the social realities and conflicts of post-Civil War America, as well as travel