American Literature: Revolution to Early Republic
The Birth of a Nation
The most memorable writing in the 18th century was done by the Founding Fathers, the men who led the Revolution of 1775-1783 and who wrote the Constitution of 1789. Their most typical product was the political pamphlet. They shared the Enlightenment belief that human intelligence could understand both nature and man. They wanted to create a happy society based on justice and freedom.
Benjamin Franklin
The writings of Benjamin Franklin show the Enlightenment spirit in America at
Read MorePidgins, Creoles, and the Evolution of English
What is Maritime English?
Royal Navy and merchant ships travelled the oceans. The officers were English, but the crews were multiracial. Maritime English, or ship’s jargon, was a form of pidgin English. Linguistic descendants of maritime English share similar characteristics in the Caribbean, West Africa, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, and Hawaii.
What is a Pidgin? How Do Pidgins Normally Begin?
A pidgin is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups that
Read MoreEnglish Language Review: Grammar, Literary Analysis, and Vocabulary
English Language Review
Grammar: Subject Pronouns (p. 158)
- Subject pronouns are used as the subject of a sentence.
- Examples: I, we, you, he, she, they, it.
Literary Analysis: Analogy & Allusion (p. 158)
- Analogy: A comparison used to describe or explain something.
- Example: “Stinky looked like a Volcho compared with all the BMWs and Cadillacs around the pool.”
- Allusion: A reference to a famous person, event, or character.
- Example: “He looks like Captain America from the Avengers.”
Vocabulary (p. 162)
- Consequence:
Children’s Literature: History and Evolution
A) A book written by author John Newbery in 1744, it belongs to the first half of the 18th century. Newbery’s *A Little Pretty Pocket Book* is most notable because it was a commercial, mixed-media text. Children’s literature is not a natural phenomenon but a social construct, born of the European Enlightenment of the 18th century. The evangelistic attitude dominated children’s books until the end of the 18th century and influenced, directly or in reaction, attitudes almost to the end of the
Read MoreValle-Inclán’s Literary Evolution: From Modernism to Grotesque
Valle-Inclán: Evolution From Modernism to Grotesque
Valle-Inclán’s work evolved from an elegant and nostalgic modernism to a critical literature based on a vicious distortion of reality. Salinas incorrectly linked him to the Generation of ’98, viewing him as a prodigal son. However, both his ideological assumptions and the radical novelty of his aesthetic place Valle-Inclán far from the positions adopted by the *noventayochistas* in their maturity. His career shares similarities with Antonio Machado’
Read MoreLyrical, Narrative, and Dramatic Texts: Key Features
Lyrical Texts: Characteristics and Devices
Lyrical texts are an expression of the author’s subjectivity. The expressive or emotive function of language predominates. Themes are universal, relating to human beings and their concerns. There is almost no action. Verse is generally used, and it is very common to see lexical repetition and the use of rhetorical figures.
Figures of Speech in Lyrical Texts
Phonetic Level
- Alliteration: Repetition of a sound in a short space.
- Paronomasia: Using words that are