From The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Edition, Vol. 1:
1. Re
From The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Edition, Vol. 1:
1. Read “American Literature 1820-1865” in your Norton textbook (439-457).
2. Read Washington Irving’s biography in Norton (461-463) and “Rip Van Winkle” (465-477).
3. Read James Fenimore Cooper’s biography in Norton (477-479) and a selection from The Last of the Mohicans (479-486).
Videos:
1. A 53 minute documentary Romanticism: Imagining Freedom. Be aware that this documentary is not just about America and not just about literature but you should look for the broad framework of what defines Romanticism.
2. A 4:30 minute segment of the documentary Masculine Heroes about “James Fenimore Cooper.”
3. A 2:50 minute segment of the documentary Masculine Heroes called “American Masculinity.”
In a two-page response utilizing illustrations from “Rip Van Winkle” and The Last of the Mohicans, define the word romanticism. You should point out the core defining characteristics of this literary movement as they are presented in our class materials (videos and readings) and use the stories from this module to illustrate these criteria. Please do not use outside materials on this assignment.
Responses should be two pages and utilize MLA formatting requirements including in-text citations. A works cited page is not required.
