понедельник, 2 июня 2008 г.

Exam Questions

Be sure to return "Studies in American Literature" on June 11. If you fail to bring the book, you won't be allowed to take the exam.

1. Naturalism in writing, "The Second Choice" as a naturalistic work.

2. Peculiarities of E. Hemingway’s style.Hemingway’s principles of short story writing: traditions and innovations.(Be prepared to show examples of it from the stories we read).

3. E. Hemingway as a representative of “the lost generation” writers.

4. Themes and plot structure in “Dry September” and "Rose for Emily" by W.Faulkner.

5. The peculiarities of narration in T. Dreiser’s “The Second Choice”.

6. Symbols and their role in “The Great Gatsby”.

7. Themes and conflicts in “The Great Gatsby”.

8. American Dream in "The Great Gatsby"

9. Means of characterization in “The Great Gatsby”: speech portrayals, appearance, clothes, actions, names, thoughts. Speech portrayals and their roles in “The Great Gatsby”.

10. Flapper Culture in “The Great Gatsby”.

11. Plot structure and themes in "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck.

12. "Flowers for Algernon" by D.Keyes: style, themes, story vs.novel.

13. Salinger's stories: themes, plot structure, characters.

14. Robert Frost's poetry: peculiarities, themes


Be ready to talk about the following characters:
Shirley in "The Second Choice",
Barton in "The Second Choice",
Miss Minnie Cooper in "Dry September",
the barber in "Dry September",
Emily in "Rose for Emily"
Jay Gatsby in "The Great Gatsby",
Daisy Buchanan in "The Great Gatsby",
Nick Carraway in "The Great Gatsby",
George from "Of Mice and Men",
Lennie from "Of Mice and Men".
Charlie Gordon from "Flowers for Algernon@.

Be ready to explain the distinguishing characteristics of realism, naturalism, and regionalism.
Be ready to compare and contrast the writing styles of the authors.
Be ready to explain the following terms: Roaring Twenties, The Great Depression, The Dust Bowl, Flappers.
Be ready to answer the question based on the readings you missed.
At the examination you are allowed to use the literary texts under analysis.

Exemptions: I would like to officially exempt Anna Karpova and Olga Ryabova (no classes missed, active engagement) from the exam procedures with an A. Yevgeniya can automatically get a B unless she wants to have a higher grade.

среда, 7 мая 2008 г.

May 13/14, Keyes, Flowers for Algernon


1. Read the story "Flowers for Algernon"

Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes. The short story was first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960.[1] The novel was published in 1966 and was joint winner of that year's Nebula Award for Best Novel (with Babel-17).[2]

The titular Algernon is a laboratory mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his intelligence. The story is told as a series of "progress reports" written by Charlie, the first human test subject for the surgery, and touches upon many different ethical and moral themes such as the treatment of the mentally disabled. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Optional: the novel in audio format can be found at http://englishtips.org

понедельник, 5 мая 2008 г.

вторник, 15 апреля 2008 г.

April 21/22: another 2 Stories by Hemingway


1. The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber + The Snows of Kilimanjaro. (text and audio).

2. Be ready for the quiz on the Hemingway style, the iceberg theory and his biography.

* A collection of Hemingway's 7 Best Stories (including audio files).

четверг, 10 апреля 2008 г.