How does imagination impact the ways in which the author of the work, or the protagonist within the work, sees the world around them?

Pick two literary periods that we have studied this semester; they may be British or American or both. Describe characteristics of these periods. Then choose at least two authors from each period and demonstrate how their works reflect these characteristics. Give specific examples from the authors’ texts. a. American Literature – Short Story is The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Stetson b. American Romanticism – Short Story is The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe 2. Nature is an important topic in literature for many British and American writers. Chose at least two writers from our course readings and explain how they treat nature in their works. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Offer an explanation for these similarities and differences. a. Poem is Hope by Lisel Mueller b. Poem is I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth 3. For this particular essay prompt you are expected to reflect on the role that imagination plays in the works of at least two authors from the course. How does imagination impact the ways in which the author of the work, or the protagonist within the work, sees the world around them? How does this reflect their inner-state of being? Is this a calm or tumultuous state? Ultimately, what does this reflection say about the particular work and the underlying themes that it represents? a. Short Story is Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne b. Short Story is The Lottery by Shirley Jackson 4. The idea of independence or self-worth is a theme that runs through much of literature. Take at least two authors from our assigned readings and compare and contrast their views of independence and self-worth. How do these works demonstrate the search or struggle to find self-worth through the journeys of their protagonists? a. Edgar Allen Poe b. Charlotte Perkins Stetson