Any New American Lit info?

[studyingathome]

My brother and I are taking American Literature in about a week and a half. I've had very little background in American Lit, and so am a bit intimidated by this test. I took English Lit, but I was more familiar with some of the works. Does anyone have any information or advice to share? Specific things/works/people to know well?

I've been using SparkNotes and CliffsNotes for a lot of the summaries, avoiding reading the actual works. I've used the REA book/tests and the Petersons tests and have averaged a 53 on the 5 practice tests. Am I close to ready?

Any input would be appreciated, especially so I can know what things to really focus on next week as I study.
Allison

[Elinor]

American lit was the last test I took. I passed with a 67!!! It was somewhat harder than the English lit, but still not too bad, and WAY better than I expected.

Mark Twain and Alcott were pretty much the only American authors I'd read before this test. Alcott didn't show up at all, but there were a few questions about Twain. The only work I actually read for the test was The Scarlet Letter, and only that because it seems to be referred to everywhere.

I always go blank at the end of tests, so I have a hard time writing about what was on there. Here's what I remembered though: And the score is… « Reformed TN Girl

I will venture this suggestion: if you have access to the Idiot's Guide for this test, read it! I think it helped me a lot, especially with the newer stuff (Harlem Renaissance and confessional poets, in particular)! The iTunes U lectures were good, but the only questions it helped me on, I think, were a couple about Invisible Man and The Yellow Wallpaper, both of which were covered in the Idiot's Guide.

Good luck with the test!

[margotsara]

I studied using the Norton Anthology of American Literature..There are two volumes, both fairly huge books (1000 pages +). But I would hone in on major authors--

The test does include questions on Transcendentalism..Emerson, Thoreau..I would read a few of Emerson's important essays like "Self Reliance," and read at least an excerpt of Thoreau's "Walden Pond."

Mark Twain is of HUGE importance on the test. Read Huck Finn, if you haven't already! (It's an awesome book.)

The major playwright on the test is definitely Eugene O'Neill...His best-known works are Desire Under the Elms, The Iceman Cometh, ...

Tennessee Williams is important too.

As far as I remember there wasn't too much focus on American poetry. But be familiar with Whitman, Dickinson, etc.

[Arkansas Red]

Oh, I forgot to mention:

There was a few questions about early American literature. William Bradford, Thomas Paine, and such. I think this comprised of around 5 or 6 questions.


As for your "Am I ready" question...

I took the practice test and scored around 68% (would have been 74%, but I have tendency to answer the question before reading all the answers). My question to you is, how confident do you feel about the material (I know never answer a question with a question)? I studied from early January to early April and majored in English, yet it was still tough. Take the test when you feel comfortable and confident with the material.

[doghouse42]

Even if you can't buy the idiot's guide - it's out of print and expensive - you can get it on amazon for kindle at about $10 and even if you don't have a kindle you can read it on your computer.

[studyingathome]

Thanks for the information each of you shared! My brother and I both passed yesterday! He passed with a 63, and I got a 55.

So American Lit is doable even without reading the actual works.

If anyone is planning on taking this test soon, some of the analyzation portion is simply recognizing the book or author of the book from the quote. It's pretty obvious, like by the characters in the Scarlet Letter, the diction in Huckleberry Finn, the wallpaper description of The Yellow Wallpaper, the author of the Invisible Man, or the writing of Walden.

I was also surprised to find a quote from Ben Franklin asking who said it ("Penny saved is a penny earned"). I also had question asking who said "these are the times that try men's souls" as well as what Thomas Paine wrote. I had a question asking what Jonathan Edwards was and what "ism" influenced Anne Bradstreet. I'm a homeschooler, so that was the stuff I was familiar with and was excited to find on the test.