LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2012 final exam—Answers to Question A1 "Review Learning" or "Review Romanticism" final exam assignment

Angela Sims

Surprising Connections

          This course not only provided a careful examination of the important American literary works dating from the 1820’s-1860’s, but it also enhanced my understanding of literature as a whole study. Instead of the assigned texts falling into a tidy formation of connectedness to the American Renaissance, I found that the works spoke on a broader level, engaging in dialogue to any and all other types of literature—from mythology to the modern novel. Poe hints to the Stephen King chiller, the Byronic hero still graces us with his presence, and the Romance continues to ignite our senses through film and text. This approach to studying literature frees us from our self-imposed limitations. In keeping all the books open at once, we can appreciate the manner in which ideas speak through the wide network of texts.

          The concept of “intertextuality” forever changed my view of literature. When reading and eventually writing about a piece of literature for class, most professors encourage a focused analysis and discussion on the primary text. My tendency is to compare various works, but I always keep those thoughts to myself since the instructor seems to be discouraging those views. The independence of our class allowed for the connection-making of any work. Keeping all of the books open helps to make sense of the text and derive a deeper meaning and connection to similar and sometimes dissimilar books. By using other texts to construct meaning and unify themes, the reader can then focus on the consistency of message or ideology present in the numerous works. The universality of literature can, therefore, be shown through books speaking to other books.

For example, themes and form overlapped into other literature classes I was currently taking, namely medieval literature. Romanticism parallels with the characteristics of the Arthurian Romance. Both conventions feature the transcendental journey or quest to something greater. Honorable men aspire to meet their duties as a chivalric knight. The quest of the American romance, though, changes with the narrative. Domestic tales that feature kittens and formidable, young girls vastly differ from the evil dwarfs and jousting tournaments of the knightly conquests. Still, the nature of the quest remains a central focus between both American Renaissance literature and medieval literature. Man’s inherent longing for a greater life reaches through the span of time and materializes in countless places in text.

In the same measure of consideration fiction plays in our study of literature, non-fiction essay writing and rhetoric also have their purpose. The manner the various pieces of literature were selected in this course elicited conversations about the meaning and importance of studying writing. By selecting texts that did not necessarily fit into the traditional literary “box” (like essays, speeches, etc.), we were challenged to deeper thinking and critical analysis. Why did these works matter? Many times, the non-fiction texts enhanced the understanding of the fictional works we were reading. Poe’s The Philosophy of Composition provided background and rationale for his poem The Raven. In the subsequent essay, I will connect the importance of Lincoln’s speeches to the Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Douglass’ Narrative of the Life. By comparing and associating the non-fiction and fiction texts, the gap of understanding is bridged and connections of historical and cultural nature are solidified. That historical and cultural understanding of the American Renaissance appears to be the destination of our semester’s end.