22. Значение творчества м.Твена для развития американской литературы.

REALISM

Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, has been called “the father of American literature. ” In his day he was America’s most famous literary icon.

A humorist, satirist, lecturer and novelist, Twain combined narrative wit and a strong sense of irony to create distinctive masterpieces based on American culture and language. His works drew upon his extensive travels and show a remarkable depth of human character and perception of individual experience. Twain’s writing provides a unique reflection of the American way of life in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

It might be the best novel ever written in the US. First of all, it's about slavery and relations between black and white people, at a time when the slavery issue was coming to a head politically, leading to the Civil War. Secondly, it's Mark Twain, the greatest writer of his generation and one of the best ever.

But also H.F. shows incredible attention to detail. Everyone in the book speaks a little different dialect, and Twain himself said he spent a long time researching the dialects. (He said in the prologue that you shouldn't think that everyone in the book is trying to sound the same but not succeeding.)

Themes:

- Racism and Slavery

- Intellectual and Moral Education (an individual’s maturation and development. As a poor, uneducated boy, for all intents and purposes an orphan, Huck distrusts the morals and precepts of the society that treats him as an outcast and fails to protect him from abuse. Huck bases these decisions on his experiences, his own sense of logic, and what his developing conscience tells him.)

23. Творчество О.Генри.

O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) (1862 –1910)

His short stories are well known throughout the world; noted for their witticism, clever wordplay, and unexpected endings.

His two most famous short stories are probably The Gift of the Magi about a young couple who are short of money but desperately want to buy each other Christmas gifts. And The Ransom of Red Chief, a story about two hapless kidnappers that snatch the wrong boy.

O. Henry's trademark is his witty, plot-twisting endings, and his warm characterization of the awkward and difficult situations and the creative ways people find to resolve them.

24. Романтические и реалистические традиции в творчестве Д.Лондона и Б.Гарта.

Naturalism is a movement taking place from 1865 to 1900. A literary work should present life exactly as it is. The naturalist writer also attempted to be painstakingly scientific, objective and detached observation of life without idealism or avoidance of the ugly. It emphasizes that social conditions, heredity, and environment have inescapable force in shaping human character. Naturalistic writers were influenced by the evolution theory of Charles Darwin.

First introduced by the French writer Émile Zola in the 1880s, Naturalism, an extension of Realism, was a reaction to the tenets of Romanticism, which idealized emotion and adventure. While Realism attempts to depict characters and their situations as truthfully as possible, Naturalism moves beyond realistic description to also address the psychological and evolutionary forces that contribute to a character’s decision making. Characters must confront their limitations and adapt in a world that can be violent, powerful, and destructive.

Klondike Gold Rush (1897)