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150 Cards in this Set

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The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
Edna Ponteiller, a married woman, falls in love with Lebrun. She leaves her husband and children to be with him. He can't deal with her newfound freedom. She learns that her husband is contriving to get her back. She commits suicide by swimming out into the ocean.
"The Story of an Hour," by Kate Chopin
Mrs. Millard is told that her husband has died in an accident. She is elated that she can be a free woman and live for herself now. She learns that he is not dead, and, in dispair, dies.
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, by Stephen Crane.
Maggie & Jimmie grow up in a poor, abusive household. Maggie falls in love with a friend of Jimmie's named Pete. His bravado & trappings of a middle class lifestyle trick her into thinking that her life will be better if she sticks with him. He uses her for sex and then abandons her. She becomes a prostitute and dies. Jimmie is outraged, but has done the same thing to other women. Pete is eventually abandoned by the woman he left Maggie for and killed while drunk.
Sister Carrie, by Theodore Drieser
Caroline Meeber, or Carrie, decides to leave the sweatshop (hard work and honest labor) behind in pursuit of obtaining the American Dream by other means. First, she becomes the personal prostitute for a man named Drouet in Chicago. Then she has an affair with an old, married man named Hurstwood. Then he leaves his family and they move to New York. He runs out of money & can't find work. She leaves him and becomes an actress. His downfall is contrasted with her rise.
An American Tragedy, by Theodore Drieser
Clyde Griffiths kills a child in a drunk driving accident. He leaves Kansas City for Lycurgus, New York. There, he vows not to ruin himself again. But he soon falls in love with Roberta Alden and gets her pregnant. Not wanting to marry her because she is lower in station than he is, he thinks of getting an abortion for her. But he puts this off, while pursuing an aristocratic woman named Sondra Finchley. After it's too late to get Roberta an abortion, he decides to kill her. He takes her out to a lake as planned, but then loses his nerve. She accidentally falls into the water and drowns however, because he is too cowardly to save her. The circumstantial implies murder and the authorities sentence Clyde to death.
Billy Budd, by Herman Melville
Innocent & sweet, Billy is loved by the ship's crew but inexplicably hated by the ship's Master-At-Arms, John Claggart. Claggart accuses Billy of plotting mutiny. Billy can't find the words to defend himself in front of the captain and lashes out at Claggart, seemingly involuntarily, and kills him with a single blow. The captain, convinced that Billy is innocent, sentences him to death to maintain order on board the ship.
"Bartleby the Scribner," by Herman Melville
The narrator (a lawyer, but unidentified by name) has three employees: Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut. He advertises for a 4th and in comes Bartleby. At first he appears competent and respectable. But then he starts refusing to do his work, repeatedly uttering the phrase "I would prefer not to." He refuses to explain his behavior, starts sleeping at the law office, & refuses to leave the premises when he is fired. The lawyer moves to avoid confrontation and Bartleby is taken to prison, where he starves to death, finally expiring when the lawyer comes to visit.
"Benito Cereno," by Herman Melville
A slave named Babo (physically weak & mentally sharp) leads the other African prisoners on a Spanish slave ship to kill all of the officers, except for the captain, don Benito Cereno, and force the remaining crew to take them back to Africa. When an American named Amasa Delano sees the dilapidated ship and comes over to offer his assistance, Babo organizes a subterfuge to make it appear that the Spanish are still in control. They almost get away with it, but Delano figures eventually it out and kills Babo.
The Bells of Lynn, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Written as a tribute to Nathaniel Hawthorne upon his death.
The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Set in 17th Century Puritan Boston. Hester Prynne has an affair with the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale while her (much older) husband is on his way to America from England. Has to wear a red "A" on her bosom for committing adultery and keeping the identity of her child's father a secret. Her husband, intent on revenge, is living in the town, practicing medicine, & going by the name Roger Chillingworth. He tells her who he is, but makes her keep it a secret, and tries to find out who the father is. He is as ugly & misshapen on the outside as he is twisted and evil on the inside. Peal asks Dimmesdale to acknowledge her, but he won't. He becomes psychologically distressed by his sin & secrecy. Chillingworth moves in to take care of him & finds out that he is the father. Hester tells Dimmesdale that Chillingworth is her husband. They plan to go to Europe & loosen up. She takes off the scarlet letter, but Pearl doesn't recognize her and insists that she put it back on. (She represents adultery, like the A.) Dimmesdale kisses her, but she wipes it off because he won't publicly acknowledge her. The lovers reveal themselves to the community on the town center's scaffold. As soon as the minister reveals that he is Pearl's daughter, he dies. Chillgworth dies a year later. When Hester dies, much later, she is buried next to Dimmesdale and their shared headstone is marked with an "A." Pearl marries an European aristocrat and lives happily ever after.
The House of Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The evil "original" Colonel Pyncheon had a Matthew Maule hung during the Salem Witch Trials to steal his land. Then he built a house on it. 200 years later, the sins of the father are still tainting the lives of his descendants. The family is in ruins and desparately poor. Hepzibah Pyncheon opens up a cent shop on the bottom floor. Her brother, Clifford Pyncheon, comes back from jail (where he was serving a 30 yr. sentence for allegedly killing his uncle). Their cousin Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon is rooting around for the title of the land, to steal it. Then he dies suddenly. Hepzibah & Clifford run (afraid of being blamed), but then return, to their younger cousin, Pheobe's, relief. It turns out Jaffrey was the murderer and framed Clifford. Hepzibah, Clifford, & Phoebe leave the house to start a new life. Draws on Hawthorne's own guilt about the things his ancestors had done during the Salem Witch Trials.
The Blithedale Romance, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Based on his own experience at Brook Farm, a wannabe socialist Utopia. Miles Coverdale (a writer, who has been compared to Hawthorne) goes to the Blithedale communal farm, which is destroyed by the self-interest of its members. Hollingsworth (a bloated philanthropist and misogynist who wants to use the colony to reform criminals), Zenobia Fauntleroy (a high-society feminist of exotic origins, who falls for Hollingsworth), Priscilla Moodie (a weak & delicate seamstress who also falls for Hollingsworth), and Coverdale (who falls in love with Priscilla) become close friends. Hollingsworth courts Zenobia for her money (to support his cause), but then pledges himself to Priscilla. Zenobia drowns herself. Coverdale remains skeptical about human progress.
The Marble Faun, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
His last major romance. Set in Italy. Part fable, pastoral, gothic, and travel guide. Climax comes before the halfway point of the novel. Purposely leaves the reader's questions unanswered. Themes: guilt & the fall of man. Main characters: a painter named Miriam (compared to Eve, Lady Macbeth, and Cleopatra), an innocent copyist named Hilda (compared to the Virgin Mary), a sculptor named Kenyon (who represents rationalist humanism), and Donatello, the Count of Monti Beni (who is compared to Adam, who looks like a faun, and is probably half goat).Donatello kills a monk instead of Miriam's stalker. Everyone is tainted.
The Dial
A Transcendentalist periodical. Contributors included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Jones Very.
Walden, by Henry David Thoreau
Neither a novel nor a true autobiography. Details Thoreau's "experiment in simple living." Social critique of the Western World.
Civil Disobedience, by henry David Thoreau
An essay in which Thoreau expresses his belief that the people should not let the government either overpower them or atrophy, and his belief that people should not cause injustice or allow their government to make them the indirect cause of injustice. Written in response to is disgust with slavery and the Mexican-American war and his refusal to pay taxes to support these social sins.
Leaves of Grass
Book of poetry by Walt Whitman. First published in 1855. Contained 12 long, untitled poems. Considered "obscene" for overt sexual content. Whitman continued to edit it until his death in 1892.
"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed"
Poem by Walt Whitman, bemoaning the death of Abraham Lincoln
"Democratic Vistas"
Essay by Walt Whitman. Criticizes America's for its "mighty, many-threaded wealth and industry" that mask an underlying "dry and flat Sahara" of soul. He calls for a new kind of literature to revive the American population ("Not the book needs so much to be the complete thing, but the reader of the book does").
"Keats"
Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, bemoaning the death of Keats.
Evangeline
Poem by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It describes the betrothal of an Acadian peasant girl named Evangeline to her lover, Gabriel, and their separation as the British deport the Acadians from Canada in the Great Expulsion. The poem then follows Evangeline across the landscapes of America as she spends years in a search for him. Finally she settles in Philadelphia and, as an old woman, works as a nurse among the poor. While tending the dying during an epidemic she finds Gabriel among the sick, and he dies in her arms.
The Song of Hiawatha
Epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Based on the legends of the Ojibway Indians. Source of the work: ethnographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. The poem is also known as "Hiawatha's Childhood"
Anthropos, or the Future of Art
Short one-act play by e.e.cummings, that he submitted to an anthology called Whither, Whither or After Sex, What? A Symposium to End Symposiums. The play consists of dialogue between Man, the main character, and three "infrahumans", or inferior beings. The word anthropos is the Greek word for "man", in the sense of "mankind".
Tom, A Ballet
Short play by e.e.cummings. Based on Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The ballet is detailed in a "synopsis" as well as descriptions of four "episodes," which were published by Cummings in 1935. It has never been performed.
HIM
Three-act play by e.e.cummings. * The play's main characters are "Him", a playwright, and "Me", his girlfriend. Cummings said of the unorthodox play: Relax and give the play a chance to strut its stuff—relax, stop wondering what it is all 'about'—like many strange and familiar things, Life included, this play isn't 'about,' it simply is. . . . Don't try to enjoy it, let it try to enjoy you. DON'T TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT, LET IT TRY TO UNDERSTAND YOU."
Santa Claus, A Morality
A one-act play by e.e.cummings. Allegorical Christmas fantasy, inspired by being reunited with his daughter in 1946. The play's main characters are Santa Claus, his family (Woman and Child), Death, and Mob. At the outset of the play, Santa Claus' family has disintegrated due to their lust for knowledge (Science). After a series of events, however, Santa Claus' faith in love and his rejection of the materialism and disappointment he associates with Science are reaffirmed, and he is reunited with Woman and Child.
The Cantos
Long, incomplete poem by Ezra Pound. Book-length work, made up of 120 sections. Deals with economics, governance, and culture are integral to its content. The range of allusion to historical events is very broad and there is a wide geographic spread. Deals with the Mediterranean, Europe, East Asia, and Africa. Includes Chinese characters and quotations in various European languages.
"Hugh Selwyn Mauberley"
Long poem by Ezra Pound. Made up of eighteen short poems, grouped into two sections. First is autobiographical: reflects on Edwardian London, the changes wrought by WWI, an his attempt to make it as a poet by imitating traditional verse. The second section introduces a struggling modernist poet named Mauberley, who represents another aspect of his own character. Regarded as a turning point in Pound's career.
Tender Buttons
Book of experimental, modernist, feminist poetry by Gertrude Stein.
Three Lives
Novel (or group of short stories) by Gertrude Stein. Features three stories of working-class women: "The Good Anna," "Melanchtha," and "The Gentle Lena." Has been called a minor masterpiece.
The Waste Land
Poem by T.S. Eliot. Divided into five sections: The Burial of the Dead, A Game of Chess, The Fire Sermon, Death by Water, What The Thunder Said. Quotations from everything from Webster to Dante and a plethora of allusions and Sanskrit. Theme: the decay of Western civilization. Subjects: the passive people of London ("Unreal city"). Shifts between satire and prophecy. Frequent and unannounced changes of speaker, location, and time. Elegiac and intimidating summoning up of a vast and dissonant range of cultures and literatures. "One of the most important poems of the 20th century." First line: "April is the cruelest month." Last line: I will show you fear in a handful of dust." Sanskrit Mantra at the end: "Shantih, shantih, shantih" (which means "peace that surpasses understanding.") Employs only partial rhyme schemes and short bursts of structure meant to reference—but also rework— the literary past for a stabilizing and defamiliarizing effect. Fragments in foreign languages represent mankind’s fate after the Tower of Babel: We will never be able to perfectly comprehend one another. Because the sections are so short and the situations so confusing, the effect is not one of an overwhelming impression of a single character; instead, the reader is left with the feeling of being trapped in a crowd. Poem edited by his Ezra Pound and Mrs. Eliot.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Poem by T.S.Eliot. First one published, made him famous. With its weariness, regret, embarrassment, longing, and awareness of mortality, Prufrock has become one of the most recognized voices in 20th-century literature. Relays the thoughts of a sexually frustrated middle-aged man who wants to say something but is afraid to do so, and ultimately does not. The "stream of consciousness" stylistic choice makes it difficult to determine exactly what is literal and what is symbolic. Some believe Prufrock is talking to himself, some believe he is talking to the reader, and some believe he is talking to another person in the poem. Some believe he is on his way somewhere and some believe he is only imagining the scene as it will play out. Many believe that Prufrock is trying to tell a woman his romantic interest in her. Others, however, believe that Prufrock is trying to express some deeper philosophical insight or disillusionment with society. In either case, he fears rejection and does not say it.
"Journey of the Magi."
Poem by T.S.Eliot. The magi laments outliving his world. The birth of the Christ was the death of his world of magic, astrology, and paganism. The speaker, recalling his journey in old age, says that after that birth his world had died, and he had little left to do but wait for his own end. He describes Eliot's conversion to Christianity not as a celebration of the wonders of the journey but a complaint about a journey that was painful, tedious, and seemingly pointless. The speaker says that a voice was always whispering in their ears as they went that "this was all folly".
The Four Quartets
Book of four related poems by T.S.Eliot (originally written and published separately). The Four Quartets is considered by Eliot himself to be his masterpiece. It draws upon his study, over three decades, of mysticism and philosophy. Christian imagery and symbolism in the poems is abundant. There are also numerous references to Hindu symbols and traditions, with which he had been familiar since his student days.
"The Dream of the Rood"
Old English poem. Author and date unknown. Possibly the oldest surviving text in Old English. An exile, stained by sin describes a dream he has had in which the "rood," or cross, that Jesus was crucified on described its experience to him. The rood was humiliated to made into an instrument of torture, from a tree. It felt bad for its part in slaying Christ, but proud of its part in conveying his spirit to heaven. It describes how the pegs were driven into it, felt Christ's blood dripping down on it, and stood on the hill with the other two crosses (that were for the two criminals killed with Jesus).
Beowulf
Old English heroic epic poem. Written between the 8th and 11th century. Set in the 5th century, in Denmark. People, lineages, key words and phrases, main points, and themes, to know:
1. Beowulf, variously described as the Geat, the Geatish king, from Geatland, son of Ecgtheow, loyal to (his uncle) Hygelac
2. The Danish kings: Shield (or Scyld) begat Beow begat Halfdane (or Healfdene) begat Hrothgar (or Hroogar). Hrothgar saved Ecdtheow's life and they were good friends. Beowulf is returning a favor by killing Grendel.
4. Heorot is the name of the great hall, or mead-hall, that Hrothgar builds and Grendel attacks.
5. Unferth is the skeptic, boaster, taunter, who doubts Beowulf's abilities. When he regrets trying to make Beowulf look bad, he gives him a magic sword named Hrunting. (The sword doesn't work against Grendel or his mother, though.)
6. Beowulf fatally wounds Grendel in hand-to-hand combat. Rips off his arm. Later cuts off his head when he finds the body.
7. Grendel is a descendant of Cain
8. When Grendel dies, his mother exacts revenge by destroying Heorot. Beowulf goes to her "sea lair" and kills her. Cuts off her son's head as a trophy.
9. Late in Beowulf's life, when he is king, a slave steals a golden cup from a dragon (sometimes called Sua) at Earnaness. The dragon destroys the city in rage. Beowulf and his warriors go to the dragon's cave, to kill him, but only one of the warriors, a brave young man named Wiglaf, stays to help Beowulf. Beowulf kills the dragon with Wiglaf's help, but dies from the wounds he has received.
10. Beowulf is buried with the treasure from the dragon's cave.
11. The poet is Christian and refers to the Danes as heathens.
12. The poem is a eulogy, for Beowulf as well as the race of great heroes, which the poet feels has been lost
13. One of the major themes is mortality and the struggle for immortality. There are 3 funerals and 3 battles in the story. The main character dies, but achieves fame though bravery and combat. The search for "glory" is another important and related theme.
14. Kindness of the kings was rare, and is highly praised. Scyld, Beow, Beowulf, and especially Hrothgar are all repeatedly called "the ring giver" and "giver of rings," meaning that they shares the spoils of war with their people.
15. This is an easy poem to recognize. If it is in Old English, each line will be alliterative with three or four words started with the same sound, each line will have 10 syllables, and there will be no rhyme scheme. If it is in Modern English, it will not be in rhyme, either. Key words to look for: mead-hall, hoarfrost, Geat, Dane, king, ring-giver, whale-road, Key themes: battle, glory, monsters.
The History of the Kings of Britain
Written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century. Originally in Old English. Translated into Old French by Wace, and then into Middle English by Layamon. Mostly fictional account of the establishment of Britain. Says a great-grandson of Aeneas (who supposedly established Rome after the fall of Troy) called Brutus established Britain (and it was named for him). A fifth of the book is about King Arthur. Taken literally, as a history until the 17th century. Even though Arthur was a native Britain and fought against the Anglo-Saxons, the English later embraced him as a national and cultural hero.
Lanval
"Lanval" is one of the Lais of Marie de France. Written in Anglo-Norman, it tells the story of a knight at King Arthur's court who is overlooked by the king, wooed by a fairy lady, given all manner of gifts by her, and subsequently refuses the advances of Queen Guinevere. The plot is complicated by Lanval's promise not to reveal the identity of his mistress, which he breaks when Guinevere accuses him of having "no desire for women". Before Arthur, Guinevere accuses Lanval of shaming her, and Arthur, in an extended judicial scene, demands that he reveal his mistress. Despite the broken promise, the fairy lover eventually appears to justify Lanval, and to take him with her to Avalon. The tale was popular, and was adapted into English as Sir Landevale, Sir Launfal, and Sir Lambewell.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Written by an unknown author, typically called "the Gawain poet," circa 1375-1400. The finest Arthurian romance in English. Part of the Alliterative Revival--meaning that the lines are alliterative and do not rhyme. This is how you will be able to recognize that a selection of Middle English is from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight on the GRE. Things to remember: Sir Gawain is the youngest of Arthur's knights and nephew to the king. Gringolet is the name of Gawain's horse. If you see it on the test, you know you're dealing with Gawain and the Green Knight. Bertilak and Lady Bertilak try to trick him into being untrue. He trades Bertilak's hunted animals for the kisses the lady gives him, as they agreed to exchange anything they won during the day, but keeps the green girdle which will supposedly keep him safe from harm. Bertilak is the Green Knight. The game was arranged by Morgan le Fay, the sister and arch-nemesis of King Arthur.
The Canterbury Tales
Written by Geoffrey Chaucer. Describes a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas à Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered in his cathedral in 1170. The poem is made up of: The General Prologue, twenty-two stories, "links" (or exchanges between characters that transition to the next story), and an ending in which the Host says he has yet to tell his tale. The mixing of the classes wouldn't have happened in real life--that was part of the fiction of the narrative. Each character tells a story that sheds light on his or her own beliefs, feelings, an/or values. The poem is an "estates satire," a genre that sets out to expose corruption at all levels of society. Set in April. Starts at the Tabard Inn, just outside London.
Mystery Plays
Hint: these are not detective stories! The word "mystery" refers to the spiritual mystery of Christ's redemption of humankind. Mystery plays are dramatizations of the Old Testament, which supposedly foretell that event, and New Testament accounts of it. Mysteries were usually made up of as many as 48 individual plays and might include: the Creation, the Fall of Man, the Flood, the Nativity, the events of Christ's life, the Crucifixion, the Harrowing of Hell, and the Last Judgment. The "cycles," as the complete mystery plays were called, were performed twice a year in front of people at all levels of society. These plays were mainly performed between 1100 and 1600.
Morte Darthur
By Sir Thomas Malory. Book I:
Arthur is born to Uther Pendragon and Igraine and then taken by Sir Ector to be fostered in the country. He later becomes the king of a leaderless England when he removes the fated sword from the stone. Book II: Based on the Brut (by Layamond) and the Historia Regum Brittaniae (by Geoffrey of Monmouth) which were fictional accounts of when Arthur was challenged to submit to Rome. Arthur and his armies defeat the Romans, Arthur is crowned Emperor, a proxy government is arranged for the Roman Empire and Arthur returns to London where his queen welcomes him royally. Book III: Malory establishes Lancelot as King Arthur's most revered knight. Book IV-VIII: Lancelot and Queen Guinevere have an affair, the king "had a deeming of it, but he would not hear of it, for Sir Lancelot had done so much for him and for the Queen so many times that the King loved him," Gawain, Aravain, and Mordred tell the King about the affair, Arthur is forced to sentence Guinevere to burn at the stake, Lancelot kills Gareth and Gaheris (Gawain's brothers) when he rescues Guinevere, Gawain (wanting revenge) prompts Arthur to go to war with Lancelot, while Arthur is away Mordred usurps his throne, in a battle (with Lancelot, cuz they're buddies again now) against Mordred Arthur kills Mordred and Mordred kills Arthur.
Pastoral
Pastoral poetry and prose concerns itself with shepherds and shepherdesses who are content to mind their flock, fall in love, and engage each other in friendly singing contests. They celebrate leisure, humility, contentment, and exalt the simple country life over the city and its business, the military camp and its violence, the court and its burdens of rule. This genre was imagined as sbeing at the opposite end of the spectrum from the heroic. Pastorals might conceal serious, satiric comment on abuses. Most famous pastoral is Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to his love."
The Faerie Queene
Epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Celebrates Queen Elizabeth, the Protestant faith, and the English nation. Portrays Catholicism as demonic. Each 9-line stanza is made up Spenser's own UNIQUE pattern. Together, the nine-lines that go ababbcbcc. The first 8 lines are in iambic pentameter, and the last line is is in iambic hexameter or alexandrine (meaning it has six stresses). Spenser deliberately used archaic language and varied the spelling of the same word to make the poem appear "antique." You can recognize his work by the ababbcbcc pattern and the Rennaisance style mixed with Middle English spellings.
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
Often referred to as "Doctor Faustus" or simply "Faustus." Written by Christopher Marlowe, an Elizabethan poet. Faustus makes a deal with Mephestopheles, one of the devil's servants. He gets to have all the knowledge in the world and other magical abilities for 24 years, but his soul will be damned for eternity. He is repeatedly warned and encouraged by a "Good Angel" and a "Bad Angel" (think of the ones on a person's shoulders in cartoons). An Old Man (representing experience) and Faustus' own students repeatedly warn him not to go through with the deal. He signs the deal in blood. He questions his actions at one point, but then reaffirms his deal with the devil. In his last hour, he wonders if he should ask for God's forgiveness and if God will forgive him. In the last few moments of his life, he begs for forgiveness and asks that God only sentence him to 100 or a 100,000 years in hell instead of eternity. In the end, his prayer goes unheard (it is too late) and he is dragged away by the devils.
"L'Allegro"
L'Allegro (which means "the happy man" in Italian) is invariably paired with the contrasting pastoral poem, Il Penseroso ("the thoughtful man"), which depicts a similar day spent in contemplation and thought. The poem invokes Mirth and other allegorical figures of joy and merriment, and extol the active and cheerful life, while depicting a day in the countryside according to this philosophy. Mirth, as one of the Graces, is connected with poetry within Renaissance literature, and the poem, in its form and content, is similar to dithrambs to Bacchus or hymns to Venus. However, the pleasure that Mirth brings is moderated, and there is a delicate balance between the influence of Venus or Bacchus achieved by relying on their daughter.
"Lycidas"
Written by John Milton on the death by shipwreck of an acquaintance from college, Edward King. Still preparing himself for his project career in poetry at the age of twenty-nine, he was forced to recognize the uncertainty of human endeavors. King's death posed the problem of mortality in its most agonizing form: the death of the young, the unfulfilled, the good, seems to deny all meaning to life, to demonstrate the uselessness of exceptional talent, lofty ambition, and noble ideals of service to God. While the poem expresses Milton's anxieties, it also serves as an announcement of his grand ambitions.
"Aeropagitica"
John Milton's defense of intellectual liberty.
"Paradise Lost"
Epic poem by John Milton. Set in primordial Chaos, Heaven, Hell, and the Garden of Eden. Features battles among immortal spirits. The protagonists are a different are not the traditional epic heros or the traditional versions of Adam and Eve--instead, they are married and sexually active, experience tension and passion, make mistakes in judgment, grow in knowledge, and are charged with "pruning" their wild tendencies as they prune the plants in the garden. The climax is when they partake of the forbidden fruit. Some say the hero of the poem is Satan--who is noted for his awesome energy and defiance as well as his magnificent rhetoric. The poem is ultimately about the human condition, the Fall that caused "all our woe," and the promise and means of restoration. It is also about knowing and choosing--about free will. The poem is written in heroic, but BLANK verse.
"Paradise Lost" Synopsis
The contents of the 12 books are:
Book I: In a long, twisting opening sentence mirroring the epic poetry of the Ancient Greeks, the poet invokes the "Heavenly Muse" (the Holy Spirit) and states his theme, the Fall of Man, and his aim, to "justify the ways of God to men."[1] Satan, Beelzebub, and the other rebel angels are described as lying on a lake of fire, from which Satan rises up to claim Hell as his own domain and delivers a rousing speech to his followers ("Better to reign in Hell, than serve in heav'n"). The logic of Satan (Satanic Logic) is introduced by: "The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven."
Book II: Satan and the rebel angels debate whether to wage another war on Heaven, and Beelzebub tells them of a new world being built which is to be the home of Man. Satan decides to visit this new world, passes through the Gates of Hell, past the sentries Sin and Death, and journeys through the realm of Chaos. Here, Satan is described as having given birth to Sin with a burst of flame from his forehead, before he began open warfare with God—as Athena was born from the head of Zeus.
Book III: God observes Satan's journey and foretells how Satan will bring about Man's Fall. God emphasises, that the Fall will come about as a result of Man's own free will, and excuses himself of responsibility. The Son of God offers himself as a ransom for Man's disobedience, an offer which God accepts, ordaining the Son's future incarnation and punishment. Satan arrives at the rim of the universe, disguises himself as an angel, and is directed to Earth by Uriel, Guardian of the Sun.
Book IV: Satan journeys to the Garden of Eden, where he observes Adam and Eve discussing the forbidden Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan, observing their innocence and beauty hesitates in his task, but concludes that "reason just,/ Honour and empire"[2] compel him to do this deed which he "should abhor." Satan tries to tempt Eve while she sleeps, but is discovered by the angels. The angel Gabriel expels Satan from the Garden.
Book V: Eve awakes and relates her dream to Adam. God sends Raphael to warn and encourage Adam: they talk of free will and predestination; Raphael tells Adam the story of how Satan inspired his angels to revolt against God.
Book VI: Raphael goes on to describe further the war in Heaven and explains how the Son of God drove Satan and his minions down to Hell.
Book VII: Raphael explains to Adam that God then decided to create another world (the Earth); he again warns Adam not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, for "in the day thou eat'st, thou diest;/ Death is the penalty imposed, beware,/ And govern well thy appetite, lest Sin/ Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death".
Book VIII: Adam tells the story of his creation from his own perspective, providing a counterpoint to Raphael's instruction in Book VI. Adam asks Raphael for knowledge concerning the stars and the angelic nature; Raphael warns "heaven is for thee too high/ To know what passes there; be lowly wise", and advises modesty and patience.
Book IX: Satan returns to Eden and enters into the body of a sleeping serpent. The serpent tempts Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. She eats and takes some fruit for Adam. Adam, realising Eve has been tricked, decides he would rather die with Eve than live without her; he eats of the fruit. At first the two become intoxicated by the fruit; they become lustful, engaging in sexual intercourse; afterwards, in their loss of innocence Adam and Eve cover their nakedness and fall into despair: "They sat them down to weep, nor only tears/ Rained at their eyes, but high winds worse within/ Began to rise, high passions, anger, hate,/ Mistrust, suspicion, discord, and shook greatly/ Their inward state of mind."
Book X: God sends his Son to Eden to deliver judgment on Adam and Eve. Satan returns in triumph to Hell.
Book XI: The Son of God pleads with his Father on behalf of Adam and Eve. God decrees the couple must be expelled from the Garden, and the angel Michael descends to deliver God's judgment. Michael begins to unfold the future history of the world to Adam.
Book XII: Michael tells Adam of the eventual coming of the Messiah, before leading Adam and Eve from the Garden. They have lost the physical Paradise, but now have the opportunity to enjoy a "Paradise within ... happier farr." The poem ends: "The World was all before them/ where to choose Their place of rest/ and Providence Their guide: They hand in hand with wandering steps and slow/ Through Eden took, Their solitaire way." Milton has connected the condition of Adam and Eve with the condition of the reader of the epic.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Thomas Hardy
Far From the Maddening Crowd
Thomas Hardy
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Brontë
Orlando
Virginia Woolf (modernist)
The Waves
Virginia Woolf (modernist)
The Awakening
Kate Chopin (modernist)
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ernest Hemingway (modernist)
The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway (modernist)
A Farewell to Arms
Ernest Hemingway (modernist)
Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen (known for her dry, ironic tone)
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
The Castle of Otrano
FIRST GOTHIC NOVEL. Written by Horace Walpole.
"The Oval Portrait"
Edgar Allen Poe (writing feels dark, mysterious, tense, unhappy, alienated)
"To His Coy Mistress"
Andrew Marvell
"No Coward Spirit is Mine"
Emily Brontë
"The Secret"
Denise Levertov, 1964
Hamlet
Written by William Shakespeare. FIRST PERFORMED AT THE GLOBE THEATER.
The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner. Title comes from Macbeth's soliloquy in act 5, scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Tender is the Night
F. Scott Fitzgerald. Title comes from "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ernest Hemingway. Published in 1940. Title comes from John Donne's Meditation XVII.
Things Fall Apart
Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe. Title comes from William Butler Yeats's poem "The Second Coming": "things fall apart, the center cannot hold." Published in 1958. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, and one of the first African novels written in English to receive global critical acclaim. The novel concerns the life of Okonkwo, a leader and local wrestling champion in Umofia—a fictional group of nine villages in Nigeria, inhabited by the Igbo ethnic group. It also focuses on his three wives, his children (mainly his oldest son Nwoye and his favorite daughter Ezinma), and the influences of British colonialism and Christian missionaries on his traditional Igbo (archaically "Ibo") community during an unspecified time period in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
What do these books (and their authors) have in common?
1. Drum-Taps, Walt Whitman
2. Sevastopol Sketches, Leo Tolstoy
3. A Farewell to Arms, ErnestHemingway
4. Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell
All of these authors wrote about their experience with war. Whitman was a volunteer nurse in the Civil War. Tolstoy was an officer in the Crimean War. Hemingway was wounded as an ambulance driver in WWI. Orwell fought for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War.
The Iliad
Epic poem of 15,700 lines traditionally attributed to Homer (although authorship is in permanent dispute). Starts with "this is the story of an angry man" (referring to Achilles). Priam's son Paris has stolen Helen from Menelaus. Priam's Troy has been under siege for 10 years. When Agamemnon steals Achille's favorite woman, Bryseis, he refuses to fight and takes his men (the Myrmidons) and his best friend Patroclus to his ships. Priam's son Hector (the brother of Paris) leads the Trojans in an attack on the Greek ships. Greek captains, Odysseus among them, beg Agamemnon to apologize to Achilles. Achilles still refuses to fight, but lets Patroclus go. Hector kills Patroclus. Achilles kills Hector and drags his body through the dirt behind his chariot. Moved by Priam's grief, however, he returns the body. The gods are split in who they support and work at cross purposes, getting thousands of people killed.
The Odyssey
Epic poem traditionally attributed to Homer (but authorship is in permanent dispute). After sacking Troy, Odysseus tries to return home to Ithica with his men and twelve ships. After blinding the cyclops Polyphemus (because he wanted to eat them), Odysseus is cursed by Poseidon (Polythemus' dad) to drift at sea for 10 years. Eleven of the twelve ships (and the men on them) are lost in a battle with giants. When Odysseus and the remaining men get to an island called Aenea, Circe (a witch) turns the men into pigs. Odysseus gets her to turn them back into men and let them leave the island after a year. He successfully sails between the many-headed monster Scylla and the whirpool Charybdis and resists the Sirens' singing. When his men kill the sacred cows of Helios, Seuz strikes them down. Alone, Odysseus drifts at sea and washes up on the island of Ogyia, where he is detained by the goddess Calypso for 7 years. (This is where Homer begins the story.) Zeus makes Calypso let him go. He builds a raft, runs into a little trouble with Poseidon, and eventually gets to the land of Scheria. The Scherians take him to Ithica, where he finds that his wife has been beset by suitors who want to murder his son, Telemachus. Odysseus and Telemachus kill the suitors, Athena prevents the families of the suitors from seeking revenge, and Odysseus, his wife, and Telemachus end up as a happy family again.
"Oresteia"
Written by Aeschylus. The trilogy includes "Agamemnon," "Choephoroe," and "Eumenides."
"Eumenides"
The third book in the trilogy "Oresteia," by Aeschylus.
"Choephoroe"
The second book in the trilogy "Oresteia," by Aeschylus.
"Agamemnon"
The first book in the trilogy "Oresteia," by Aeschylus.
Who wrote the stories about the cursed House of Atreus? What are the stories called, and what are they about?
Aeschylus wrote about the curse on the House of Atreus in the trilogy called "Oresteia," which includes "Agamemnon," "Choephoroe," and "Eumenides." Synopsis: Everyone in Atreus' line is cursed--you don't have to worry about why. Atreu's son, Menelaus, has his wife is stolen. When Atreus' other son, Agamemnon, (the brother of Menelaus) tries to set sail in pursuit of Paris, the wind is against him He sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia in order to turn the wind. When he returns to Sparta with Priam's daughter, Cassandra, as a sex slave, his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover Aegisthus (his cousin) kill him and the slave (because his wife is jealous) and justify it as revenge for the sacrifice of Iphigenia. Orestes (the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and brother of Iphigenia) kills his mother and her lover, Aegisthus. The Furies punish him by making him go mad. He asks Apollo for protection and is granted a trial. The Athenians' votes are split on his guilt, and Athena declares that a tie goes to the defendant. The Furies aren't happy, but the curse on the House of Atreus finally comes to an end.
Oedipus Rex
Written by Sophocles, in the 5th century B.C.
Oedipus at Colonus
Written by Sophocles in the 5th century B.C. The trilogy goes: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. Synopsis: Oedipus goes to Colonus with his daughters Antigone and Ismene, and his sons Eteocles and Polyneices fight to death over his throne.
Antigone
Written by Sophocles in the 5th century B.C. The trilogy goes: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. Synopsis: Jocasta's brother Creon, the acting king, decrees that Polyneices will not be burried because he attacked his own city. Antigone buries her brother's body so his spirit can find peace. Creon has her entombed alive in a cave and she hangs herself. Her lover and Creon's son Haemon finds her, stabs himself, and dies by her side.
The story of Oedipus
Laius, king of Thebes, goes to an Oracle and learns that he will have a son that kills him and marries his wife. Jocasta has a son and Laius orders that he be left to die of exposure in the wild, with pierced feet. The baby is given to a shepherd instead and eventually adopted by the king and queen of Corinth. He is called Oedipus because of his swollen feet (which is what his name means in Greek). When he goes to the Delphic Oracle and learns that he will kill his father and marry his mother, he leaves Corinth. Wandering, he comes to a crossroads where he gets in an argument with a stranger and kills him. The stranger, of course, was his father, Laius. Thebes is suffering from a plague and will continue to do so until the sphinx's riddle is solved. Oedipus correctly answers that what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three at night is a man, relieves the town of the plague, is crowned king, and marries Jocasta, his mother. They have four children before the truth comes out. When they discover what has happened, Oedipus blinds himself and Jocasta hangs herself.
"To His Coy Mistress"
Robert Herrick. Renaissance poet.
"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time"
Robert Herrick. Renaissance poet.
"Upon Julia's Breasts"
Robert Herrick. Renaissance poet.
"Upon Julia's Clothes"
Robert Herrick. Renaissance poet.
"The Night Piece, to Julia"
Robert Herrick. Renaissance poet.
The "Julia" poems
Robert Herrick. Renaissance poet.
"Elegy Written in a County Church-Yard"
Thomas Gray, 18th century poet. THIS IS ONE OF THE TEXTS MOST LIKELY TO APPEAR ON THE TEST. You should know that it's a meditation upon death, specifically death without fame (or death without having gotten a chance to use your talents and be recognized for them). Almost all of the lines are famous and the poem was tremendously popular in each day (which means a lot of other poets refer to it). Make sure you know these lines: "some mute, inglorious Milton may here rest/Some Cromwell guitless of his country's blood."
"She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways "
One of "the Lucy poems" by William Wordsworth, the 19th century English poet. Wordsworth and his friend Samual Taylor Coleridge started the Romantic movement.
"The Lucy poems"
William Wordsworth, 19th century English poet. Wordsworth and his friend Samual Coleridge started the Romantic movement.
"The Charge of the Light Brigade"
Alfred Lord Tennyson, 19th century poet laureate to Queen Victoria.
"Ulysses"
Alfred Lord Tennyson, 19th century poet laureate to Queen Victoria. Synopsis: Odysseus is in home city of Ithica, getting very old and bored. He gazes out at the ocean and contemplates sailing off into the sunset with his men because "Old age hath yet his honor and his toil/Death closes all; but something ere the end/Some work of noble note, may yet be done/Not unbecoming men that strove with gods."
"In Memoriam A.H.H."
Alfred Lord Tennyson, 19th century poet laureate to Queen Victoria.
"Tears, Idle Tears"
Alfred Lord Tennyson, 19th century poet laureate to Queen Victoria.
"The Franklin's Tale"
Part of "The Canterbury Tales," by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Franklin is a wealthy land-owner. His story: romantic tale about a lover, Aurelius, a faithful wife, Dorigen, and Dorigin's husband, Arveragus.
"The Reeve's Tale"
Part of "The Canterbury Tales," by Geoffrey Chaucer. The reeve is an administrative overseer. Tells his story to get back at the miller: a greey miller named Simpkin swindles a pair of clerks named John and Alan. To get him back, they bang his wife and daughter.
What text is made up of 24 stories and 29-31 characters?
"The Canterbury Tales," by Geoffrey Chaucer.
"The Clerk's Tale"
Part of "The Canterbury Tales," by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Clerk's story is about Griselda, a patient wife, who endures the trials that her jealous husband the Marquis Walter puts her through.
"The Doctor's Tale"
Part of "The Canterbury Tales," by Geoffrey Chaucer. His story: a woman named Virginia has her father kill her in order to avoid falling into the clutches of an evil judge named Apius.
How can you recognize Sir Gawain and the Green Knight if it comes up in Middle English on the GRE?
1. It is written in alliterative and non-rhyming verse. Example: "The boar makes for the man with a mighty bound/So that he and his hunter came headlong together/Where the water ran wildest--the worst for the beast/For the man, when they first met, marked him with care/Sights well the slot, slips in the blade." See? It's alliterative and it doesn't rhyme. (And even though this has been translated into Modern English, that will stay the same in Middle English.)
2. It has a distinctive "bob and wheel" pattern. The bob is a very short line (made up of one to three words.) The wheel is a short quatrain of trimeter lines that rhyme with each other and rhyme with the bob. Bob=a. Wheel=baba. Example: (bob) Ill-sped/(wheel) Hounds hasten by the score/To maul him, hide, and head/Men drag him in to shore/And dogs pronounce him dead."
"Pearl"
Written by "The Gawain Poet." (Also called "The Pearl Poet" sometimes). Late 1300s.
"Patience"
Written by "The Gawain Poet." (Also called "The Pearl Poet" sometimes). Late 1300s.
"Cleanness"
Written by "The Gawain Poet." (Also called "The Pearl Poet" sometimes). Late 1300s.
How can you tell the difference between Le Morte D'Arthur and the banquet scence with King Arthur and his men in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?
Le Morte D'Arthur is written in prose. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is written in alliterative, unrhyming verse with a rhyming bob and wheel.
What language was Le Morte D'Arthur written in?
Thomas Malory wrote Le Morte D'Arthur in Middle English sometime around 1470
How can you recognize “The Faerie Queen”?
1.Deliberately archaic or old-fashioned “looking” language. 2. The whole thin is written in Spenserian Sonnets: nine lines rhyming ababbcbcc, the first 8 of which are iambic pentameter and the last of which is iambic hexameter also known as an alexandrine.
What’s an alexandrine? Where do they appear most famously?
An iambic hexameter. The last line of any stanza from Spenser’s “Faerie Queene."
“The Sun Rising”
John Donne, Renaissance poet.
“Pilgrim’s Progress”
John Bunyan. This is an easy work to spot. Read a paragraph of it and you’ll be fine. The story is an allegory of the believer’s journey toward redemption. The protagonist, Christian, slogs through life, passing places like the Slough of despair and Vanity Fair on his way to the Celestial City.
“Absalom and Achitophel”
John Dryden, Renaissance poet. Uses biblical characters to analogize a political crisis during the reign of Charles II. Absalom is the Duke of Monmouth, Achitophel is the Earl of Shaftesbury, and King David is Charles II. Essentially, the hedonistic Charles spent so much time with his mistress that he had plenty of offspring but no legitimate (Protestant) heir, which left his Catholic brother, James, successor to the throne. The poem is notable for its heroic couplets and for its politic handling of an extremely sensitive subject.
“Mac Flecknoe”
John Dryden, Renaissance poet. The poem asserts that Flecknoe (Shadwell) sits on the throne of dullness. It is written in ETS’ favorite literary form, the mock epic, and makes a number of allusions to literary figures.
“The Country Wife”
William Wycherly, 1675, Restoration comedy, featuring Mr. Horner, Mr. Pinchwife, Sir Jasper Fidget, Mrs. Squeamish, and Mrs. Dainty Fidget
“The Man of Mode”
George Etherege, 1676, Restoration comedy, featuring Mr. Dorimant, Sir fopling Flutter, and Mrs. Loveit
“The Way of the World”
William Congreve’s, 1700, Resoration comedy, featuring Millament (a woman), Mirabell (a man), Mr. Fainall, Lady Wishfort, Foible (a woman), and Mincing (a woman)
“The School for Scandal”
Richard Sheridan, 1777, Restoration comedy, featuring Sir Peter Teazle, Maria, Lady Sneerwell, Sir Benjamin Backbite, and Charles Surface.
Who does Gulliver meet on his travels? (Hint: there are 6 kinds of people)
1.The Liliputians (six inches tall). 2. The Brombdingnags (giants). 3. The Laputas (who live on a flying island). 4. The Struldburgs (unhappy immortals who wish they could die). 5. The Houyhnhnms (intelligent, morally superior horses). 6. The Yahoos (idiotic, dirty, violent creatures who turn out to be humans).
"The Vanity of Human Wishes"
Poem by Samual Johnson, 18th century English writer.
"The Lives of the English Poets"
A biography by Samuel Johnson, 18th century writer.
"The Life of Johnson"
James Boswell's biography of Samuel Johnson. Gushing, glowing report in a genial, sympathetic, 18th century style.
What happens in the story of Prometheus?
Trick question! There are lots of stories about Prometheus. Usually, he's said to have helped civilize human beings by introducing them to fire. In some stories, he's said to have both made them out of clay and introduced them to fire. The usual story is that Zeus has Prometheus' liver torn out by vultures for eternity. In other versions, though, Zeus creates Pandors and sends her to Prometheus' brother with a jar that, when opened, releases evil into the world.
The Playboy of the Western World
Written by J. M. Synge. Set in Ireland. Names to know: Oedipus O'Rex, Christy Mahon, and Old Mahon. Plot: Christy Mahon is celebrated for killing his father, his dad shows up to everyone's alarm, he kills him again (but with much less approval), and Old Mahon returns again--whereupon the two are (at least for the moment) reconciled. Considered scandalous.
The Countess Cathleen
Yeats. Play that dramatizes an Irish fable about people who sell their souls to the devil for food during a famine.
The Plough and the Stars
Play by O'Casey. 1926. Themes: Irish nationalism and poverty. Provoked outrage because it portrayed Irish folk as unidealized. Considered scandalous.
Salomé
Wilde. The story of "Bring me the head of John the Baptist" and the "Dance of the Seven Veils." Considered scandalous.
"Bring me the head of John the Baptist" and "Dance of the Seven Veils" refer to what story, and who wrote it?
Salomé, by Oscar Wilde. Considered scandalous.
Mrs. Warren's Profession
Shaw. Play about prostitution. Considered scandalous.
What is the "profession" in Mrs. Warren's Profession? Who wrote the play?
Prostitution. Shaw.
Jonathan Harker should make you think of...
Dracula! He is the character whose diaries narrate most of the test
Who wrote Dracula?
Bram Stoker
Characters from David Copperfield
The semi-autobiographical David Copperfield, Mr. and Mrs. Micawber, and Uriah Heap
The Adventures of Augie March
Coming of age novel by Saul Bellow, set in depression-era Chicago, narrator: Augie March
The Thousand and One Arabian Nights
Frame tale. Narrator: Scheherazade.
Scheherazade is the narrator of
The Thousand and One Arabian Nights, a frame tale
Crime and Punishment
Dostoyevsky. Raskolnikiv kills his odious landlady with an ax and is eventually repentant
Mr. Lockwood is...
the first narrator of Emily Brontë's only novel, Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
The only novel written by Emily Brontë. Names to know: Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw, Mr. Lockwood, Ms. Ellen "Nelly" Dean, and Thrushcross Grange (the house)
Ellen "Nelly" Dean is...
the second narrator of Emily Brontë's only novel, Wuthering Heights
Don Quixote
AKA The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha, written by Miguel de Cervantes in two volumes a decade apart in the early 1600s. Although the novel is farcical on the surface, the second half is more serious and philosophical about the theme of deception. Character-naming in Don Quixote makes ample figural use of contradiction, inversion, and irony, such as the names Rocinante[3] (a reversal) and Dulcinea (an allusion to illusion), and the word quixote[4] itself, possibly a pun on quijada (jaw) but certainly cuixot (Catalan: thighs), a reference to a horse's rump. The world of ordinary people, from shepherds to tavern-owners and inn-keepers, which figures in Don Quixote, was groundbreaking. Alonso Quixano, a retired country gentleman in his fifties, lives in an unnamed section of La Mancha with his niece and a housekeeper. He has become obsessed with books of chivalry, and believes their every word to be true, despite the fact that many of the events in them are clearly impossible. Quixano eventually appears to other people to have lost his mind from little sleep and food and because of so much reading. He goes off on quests and adventures, and suffers at the hands of tricksters. The cruel practical jokes eventually lead Don Quixote to a great melancholy. The novel ends with Don Quixote regaining his full sanity, and renouncing all chivalry. But, the melancholy remains, and grows worse. Sancho tries to restore his quixotic faith, but his attempt to resurrect Alonso's quixotic alter-ego fails, and Alonso Quixano dies: sane and broken. Names to know: Alonso Quixano (aka Don Quixote), La Mancha (where he's from), Rocinante (his horse), Aldonza Lorenzo (his crush) who he dubs Dulcinea del Toboso (without her knowledge), and Sancho Panza (his fat, ignorant, lovable, faithful squire).The phrase "tilting at windmills" to describe an act of attacking imaginary enemies derives from an iconic scene in the book.
"Caliban upon Setebos"
One of Robert Browning's dramatic monologues. Caliban is Prospero's semi-human servant in The Tempest and Setebos is the deity that Caliban and his witch mother Sycorax worship
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
Coleridge
Absalom and Achitophel
John Dryden. Uses biblical figures to represent the political upheaval among Catholics, Protestants, the King, and Parliament in his time. King David=Charles II, whose position Dryden delicately supports in the poem while trying to appear unbiased.
Where do these characters come from?
Catherine Morland, the Allens, Henry Tilney, and John Thorpe
Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey
Where do these characters come from?
Emma Woodhouse ("handsome, clever, and rich"), Mr. Knightley, Miss Bates, Frank Churchill, Harriet Smith, and Jane Fairfax.
Jane Austen's Emma
Where do these characters come from?
The Betrams of Mansfield Park, Fanny Price, and Mrs. Norris.
Jane Austen's Mansfield Park
Where do these characters come from?
Jane Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Charles Bingley, and George Wickham.
Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice
Where do these characters come from?
Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, Lucy Steele, John Willoughby, and Colonet Brandon.
Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility
Where do these characters come from?
Sir Walter, Elizabeth, Anne Elliot, Frederick Wentworth, and a manor called Kellynch Hall.
Jane Austen's Persuasion
Name 6 of Jane Austen's most famous novels
Northanger Abbey, Emma, Mansfield Park, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion