美国现实主义文学时期习题-带答案

The Age of Realism

I. Fill in the blanks.

1.Henry James first achieved recognition as a writer of the “_ International theme _____” --- a story which brings together

persons of various nationalities who represent certain characteristics of their country.

2.The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn__ was Mark Twain’s masterpiece from which, as Hemingway noted, “all modern

American literature comes.”

3.The three dominant figures of the American Realistic Period are William Dean Howells, _Mark Twain___, and Henry

James.

4.Henry James's emphasis on psychology and on the human consciousness proves to be a big breakthrough in novel writing

and has great influence on the coming generations. That is why he is generally regarded as the forerunner of the 20th century “the stream of consciousness”.

5.As one of America’s first and foremost realists and humorists, _Mark Twain___, the pen name of Samuel Langhorne

Clemens, usually wrote about his own personal experiences and things he knew about from firsthand experiences.

6._ Henry James _ was a realist, but not a naturalist. He was an observer of the mind rather than a recorder of time. His

realism was a special kind of psychological realism.

7.One of Clemens’s best books _Life on the Mississippi___ is built around his experiences as a steamboat pilot.

8.Mark Twain’s first novel, _The Gilded Age______ was an artistic failure, but it gave its name to the America of the

post-bellum period which it attempted to satirize.

9.The impact of Darwin’s evolutionary theory on the American thought and the influence of the 19th century French literature

on the American men of letters gave rise to another school of Realism : American Naturalism.

II. Decide whether the statements are true or false.

1.In the latter half of the nineteenth century, women som ewhat became the nation’s dominant culture force. T

2.In the late nineteenth century, although Americans continued to read the works of Irving, Cooper, Hawthorne, and Poe, the

great age of American romanticism had ended. T

3.The American realists sought to describe the wide range of American experience and to present the subtleties of human

personality. T

4.Mark Twain had, as his aim of writing, the soul, the life, and the speech of the people in mind. T

5.Mark Twain’s later works unmistakably showed his change from an optimist and humorist to an almost despairing

determinist. T

6.The bulk of America’s literary realism was limited to optimistic treatment of the surface of life. F

7.American naturalism, like realism, had come from Europe. T

8.Mark Twain’s last writin gs revealed the deep grief his personal losses had caused him and reflected the deep cynicism and

disillusionment with his world. T

9.Henry James was not only one of the most important realists of the period before the First World War, but also one of the

most expert stylists of his time. T

10.Henry James’ greatest influence was exerted not on his own age but on the one that followed.T

11.Uncle Tom’s Cabin is written with vivid life-description and an enthusiastic political passion. T

12.Uncle Tom’s Cabin plays an important role in promoting the political struggle against slavery. T

13.Mark Twain’s humor, satire and the unique artistic works are the gems of American literature. T

14.Jack London vividly describes the miserable life of the working people. T

15.O. Henry uses slang to give force and humor. T

16.Jack London tells his story through action rather than through words. T

17.Jack London’s prose style is forceful and colorful rather than precise. T

18.Henry James was concerned with the moral values. T