LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2010 Student Midterm Samples 2. Short essay (4-6 paragraphs) on 1 of 2 options (or combinations as inspired) : Highlight and analyze a passage from our course readings--your best textual experience  in comprehending course contents (terms, themes, objectives, class discussion) Favorite term, objective, concept in course + explanation & application to 1-2 readings

Valerie Mead

Sublime Transcendental Gothicism (excerpt)

 . . . Gothic, as it is portrayed in American Renaissance literature, is sensational and almost larger than life.  The works that include gothic elements within them are sometimes so downright dramatic and over the top that it makes it hard to stop reading.  If this idea of what the gothic was were personified, it would be your moody younger cousin that wears black lipstick and cannot stop listening to Depeche Mode; to her, her problems are so enormous and troublesome that everyone must know about them, but it has to be inferred as it cannot be spoken from those sullen lips.  I appreciate this because I used to be somewhat gothic (I have photographic evidence!) myself in the past, and while it is entrancing and fun for a while, I like that I can now access those feelings I once had without physically living them out; all I have to do is read the work, look over it as long as I like, and close it when I’m done. . . .