English 252 Caskey American Literature II

Link out to a Research Starter on Walt Whitman for information on his early life, writings, and his significance.

Streaming Video: This introduction to the life and poetry of Walt Whitman from the Famous Authors series begins by contextualizing the writer's early life in nineteenth century Brooklyn and Long Island, New York. Whitman took a trip to New Orleans in an attempt to start a newspaper, but he was deeply opposed to slavery and did not fare well in the south. While Leaves of Grass was illiciting both praise and disgust, he became a medical orderly for soldiers in Washington in an attempt to contribute to the Civil War. Finally, Whitman settled in Camden, New Jersey where he reconnected with nature at Timber Creek.

Link out to a Research Starter on Emily Dickinson.

Link out to biographical information and literary criticism on the poem from Gale Literary Sources.

Link out to literary criticism on the poem from Gale Literary Sources.

Streaming Video: This program presents the authors of the American Gilded Age, such as Edith Wharton, and juxtaposes them with social realists like Anzia Yezierska. These writers expose the double world that made up turn–of-the–century New York: that of the elite and that of the poorest of the poor. Which of these realities is the more truly American?

Covering both biographical and literary ground, this documentary by Ken Burns profiles author Samuel Clemens from birth to age 50. Viewers gain an understanding of Clemens’s disparate interests and priorities, the historical period in which he rose to prominence, and the impact of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on the American sensibility. Novelist Russell Banks and playwright Arthur Miller provide commentary. Rare archival photos and materials are seen throughout the program. Distributed by PBS Distribution. Part of the series Mark Twain: A Film Directed by Ken Burns.

Link out to a Research Starter on Huckleberry Finn.

Few works in American literature address issues as timeless as those explored in Mark Twain’s controversial novel, Huckleberry Finn. In this program, three scholars, including noted Twain biographer Justin Kaplan, examine the work and its various themes—race, cruelty, consequences of greed, meaning of civilization, and the nature of freedom. The author’s life is traced from his days as a printer’s apprentice, riverboat pilot, and journalist, to renowned author. Twain scholars Shelley Fisher Fishkin and David Lionel Smith discuss African-American influences from Twain’s childhood that are reflected in the work, and suggest that these references, misinterpreted by readers, form the basis for charges that Twain was a racist. Incidents from his life, including his vehement antislavery and antiracist articles couched in irony, provide convincing counterpoint to the charges.

Link out to literary criticism on Huckleberry Finn from Gale Literary Sources.

Link out to a Research Starter on Kate Chopin.

Link to indepth coverage of Kate Chopin's "The Storm" in Short Stories for Students.

Link out to a Research Starter on Charles W. Chesnutt.

Link out to a Research Starter on Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Link out to a Research Starter on "The Yellow Wallpaper".

Link out to a Research Starter on Edith Wharton.

Link out to a Research Starter on Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever".

From Short Stories for Students, biographical information, plot summary, characters, themes, style, historical context, and critical overview of Wharton's "Roman Fever".

Link out to a Research Starter on Henry James.

Link out to a Research Starter on Henry James' "Daisy Miller".

Link out to literary criticism on the novel "Daisy Miller" from Gale Literary Sources.

Link out to a Research Starter on Booker T. Washington.

From "Literature and Its Times", link out to an overview of the work and its historical context.

Link out to a Research Starter on Du Bois.

Link out to a Research Starter on "The Souls of Black Folk" by Du Bois.

Link out to an essay from the Gale Literature Resource Center which provides a definition of American literary Naturalism and traces the development of a coherent philosophical concept of Naturalism.

Link out to a Research Starter on Stephen Crane.

Link out to a Research Starter on Crane's "The Open Boat."

Link out to a Research Starter on Jack London.

Link out to a Research Starter on London's "To Build a Fire".

From Short Stories for Students, link out to a critical analysis of London's "To Build a Fire".