Thomas Hardy’s pessimistic view of life predominates most of his later works and earns him a reputation as a ________ writer.

Why are naturalists inevitably pessimistic in their view?

Daisy Miller brought Henry James international fame for the first time. What’s the character of Daisy Miller, the protagonist?

Make a comment on the character of Jane Eyre, the heroine of the novel by Charlotte Bronte.

What’s the theme of Nathaniel Hawthorne’ s Young Goodman Brown?

What’s the theme of Emily Bronte’ s Wuthering Heights?

It is said that B. Shaw’ s play Mrs. Warren’ s Profession, has a strong realistic theme, which fully reflects the dramatist’s Fabianist idea. What’s the theme of the work?

“My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’ d from this soil, this air,

Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same,

I, now thirty- seven years old in perfect health begin,

Hoping to cease not till death”

Questions:

A.Who’s the poet of the quoted stanza, and what’s the title of the poem?

B.What do “soil” and “air” represent in the first line?

C.What does the poet try to say in the above quoted lines?

“ ‘Is dying hard, Daddy?’

‘No, I think it’s pretty easy, Nick. It all depends. ’”

Questions:

A.Who’s the author of the quoted part, and what’s the title of the work?

B.What was Nick preoccupied with when he asked the question?

C.Why did the father add “It all depends” after he answered his son’s question?

“Shah I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:”

Questions:

A.Who’s the poet of the quoted stanza, and what’s the title of the poem?

B.What figure of speech is employed in the poem?

C.What is the theme of the poem?

“When the stars threw down their spears,

And water’ d heaven with their tears,

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the Lamb make thee ?”

Questions:

A.Who’s the poet of the quoted stanza, and what’s the title of the poem?

B.Whom does the “he” refer to?

C.What does the “Lamb” symbolize?