2.  Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored, and imperially slim. And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked; But still he fluttered pulses when he said, 'Good-morning,' and he glittered when he walked. And he was rich - yes, richer than a king - And admirably schooled in every grace: In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place. So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head.

11. For Puritans (17 th century), a God-given earthly paradise for worship For Age of Reason (18 th century), a democratic society where all men are entitled to “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” For Romantics (early 19 th century), land of awe and wonder with limitless opportunity and possibilities.

12. For Realists (late 19 th, early 20 th century), a land of unequal opportunity and grim reality. Realist Period: Civil War through Great Depression

13. “But there has been also the American dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” -James Adams 1931 Is this really possible?

14. Since the country’s earliest colonists, Americans have believed in the “dream” of a good, prosperous life of freedom and happiness. Generation after generation has found this dream to be unreachable.

15. A. Begins in 1865 with civil war B. End date subject to debate – generally viewed as end of Great Depression C. Encompasses a time of great turmoil and change in America

16. Puritans 1630-1740 Puritans 1630-1740 Age of Reason 1740-1810 Romanticism 1810-1861 Transcendentalism 1836-1850 Transcendentalism 1836-1850 Realism 1861-1930’s Timeline of Literary Eras (so far) Timeline of Literary Eras (so far)

17. 1888: Life Sucks, But There’s Hope 1925, 1937: Life Sucks, Then You Die

18. II. Principles A.The American Dream is dead B.Life is cruel, violent, and disappointing C.Humanity is insignificant in the universe D.God’s existence is no longer assumed or is a personal force. E.Primarily a rejection of the hope and imagination of Romanticism. F.Literature aimed at representing and interpreting the actualities of life as it is – verisimilitude.

19. A. Primarily fiction B. Use of “everyday” language (like Jim in Huck Finn or the profanity of Mice and Men) C. Often focus protagonists who fail in pursuit of dreams or are coldly killed. D. Nature often presented as dominant antagonist

21. And in despair I bowed my head “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.” … Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound the carols drowned Of peace on earth good will to men. It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn, the households born Of peace on earth, good will to men.

22. Christmas was in the air and all was well With him, but for a few confusing flaws In divers of God's images. Because A friend of his would neither buy nor sell, Was he to answer for the axe that fell? He pondered; and the reason for it was, Partly, a slowly freezing Santa Claus Upon the corner, with his beard and bell. Acknowledging an improvident surprise, He magnified a fancy that he wished The friend whom he had wrecked were here again. Not sure of that, he found a compromise; And from the fullness of his heart he fished A dime for Jesus who had died for men.