American Writers

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/american-writers

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who wrote American Writers?London, England (1824-1827)
2. What is the publication period?September 1824 to February 1825
3. What is the first posthumous republication?1937, collected by Fred Lewis Pattee
4. What is John Neal's "American Writers"?"American Writers" is a book written by John Neal that talks about many writers from America and their stories. It was the first book to look at American literature in a critical way.
5. Why was "American Writers" the first book about American stories?It was the first book to try to explain what makes American writing special and different from British writing. It helped people think about American stories as their own.

Literary Canon: A collection of literary works considered by scholars and critics to be the most important or influential.
Literary Precedent: An earlier work or style that serves as a model or influence for subsequent creative endeavors.
National Literary Identity: The distinctive characteristics, themes, and voices that define the literature of a particular nation.
Pseudonym: A fictitious name used by an author, especially when the real name is not to be revealed.