Put the verbs in the correct tense.

apply, increase, lead, assert, form, leave, be (x2), spawn, build

Politically the time was ripe. The 18th century 1) _____ a heritage of optimism about man's possibilities and perfectability. The lofty ideals of democracy 2) ______ the value of individuals, regardless of class, and education. Of course, these values primarily 3) _______ to white males. In fact, tensions 4) _________ which cried out for creative release. Inequality, not equality 5) _____ the rule for many, especially women and slaves. The clash of these realities with the idealistic rhetoric 6) _____ writers to take extremes, championing individualism yet also seeing the darker sides of a fragmenting society.

Economically America 7) ____ never ____ wealthier. But the rising materialism and focus on business at the cost of the mind and the spirit 8) ________ reform movements all over America. Over 150 intentional communities – from the Shakers to Oneida to Brook Farm – 9) _________ by people disillusioned by the materialistic values and inequities of American society. Yet there was enough affluence for people to develop and appreciate writing and reading, and a growing leisure class with cultural pretensions. There was one period of crisis – the Panic of 1837 – but that only 10) ________ the drive toward material values[29].

 

CASE-STUDY

Find an information about Edgar Allan Poe on the Internet. Discuss his biography in class. What was the most surprising thing for you?

Now you are going to work in groups. Choose a group according to your interests.

Group 1. Find the original text of “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Prepare a short review of a story. Find any interesting facts connected to it.

Group 2. Find the original text of “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”. Prepare a short review of a story. Find any interesting facts connected to it.

Group 3. Find the original text of “The Cask of Amontillado”. Prepare a short review of a story. Find any interesting facts connected to it.

 

DISCUSSION

1. Discuss the results of your researches in a class.

2. What are the common features of all the stories by Ed. Poe? Why do you think he wrote scary stories? How did they influence his life? Discuss your ideas in a class.

 

WRITING

Read the book “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by W. Irving. Have you read this book before? Write a short essay and describe your impression of this book (from 150 to 200 words).

Food for thought. Find an information on the Internet and complete the table. Discuss your results in a class.

	Classicism	Sentimentalism	Romanticism
Time of origin
The main features
Literature
Painting
Architecture

Read the book “Rip Van Winkle” by W. Irving. Write short summary of a book (from 200 to 250 words).

WATCHING AND LISTENING

Do you know who Ralph Waldo Emerson is? Find the information on the Internet. What ideas did he spread? Share information in a class.

2. Listen to the audio [30] about Ralph Waldo Emerson and his work. Answer the questions.

1) Who is the great man according to R.W.Emerson?

2) Is self-reliance a capacity we should born with or it must be cultivated?

3) What kind of influence do school and education system have on self-reliance?

4) Who was Montaigne?

5) What did he do?

6) Who is it said about: “tortured more by the smallest strings than others are by chains”?

7) Who thought that he must create a System or be enslaved by another man’s?

8) What are the historical premises to a sense of self-reliance?

9) What was the most terrible thing during the longest period of the human past?

10) What changed nowadays and what is self-reliance today?

Listen to the audio again. What does the idea of self-reliance tell you? What does it mean for you – to be self-reliant? Share your ideas in class and discuss them.

Revise your knowledge about the literature and art in America. Do you remember any famous works? Which of them were created in the era of Romanticism? Discuss your ideas in pairs or small groups.

5. Watch the video [31]. Answer the questions.

1) What are the main characteristics of American romantic literature?

2) What does imagination fall in line with and why?

3) What is escapism?

4) What is a common feature for all romantic characters?

5) What modern example of romantic story was mentioned in the video?

6) What was the basis for individuality in American romantic literature?

7) Who are the Fireside Poets? What they were known for?

8) Who became a prototype for being a common man as a hero?

9) What is the most famous work of J.F.Cooper?

10) Why Bumppo became the first American hero?

Think of the books of American romantic period that you have read. Try to find features mentioned in the video in these works. Discuss the characteristics of the period and give examples from the literature you read.

SPEAKING

1. Make a presentation on one of the given topics:

· Life and works of Herman Melville

· Life and works of Nathaniel Hawthorne

· American Romanticism in art