Realism: Twain / Harte / Howells / Bierce
Twain – Reading and Review Questions:
- In “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” what is Jim Smiley’s talent? Why does he lose it?
- Would you consider Mark Twain an experimental writer? How are his stories different from other authors of his time period?
- In Twain’s “War Prayer,” how do the town’s people react to the prophet? Is his message clear? How is this a controversial story?
Harte – Reading and Review Questions:
- What does the story reveal about the nature of justice and morality?
- What is the symbolic significance of the snowstorm?
Howells – Reading and Review Questions:
- Examine the tension between the “ideal” and the “real” in “Editha.” Which mode of representation is depicted as superior to the other? Why?
- What strategies does Editha use to convince George to go to war? Why does she use these particular strategies? Are the principles she espouses truly hers? Or is she manipulating him using catch phrases from the time period?
- What motivates George to finally enlist?
- Characterize Editha’s feelings about George’s death.
- Contrast Editha with George’s mother.
- At the end of “Editha,” how does the word “vulgar” expressed by the artist help Editha return to living again in the ideal?
Bierce – Reading and Review Questions:
- In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” examine the measuring and passing of time in the story. What is the significance of these references to time?
