bhjbjh
Realism and Naturalism
1855-1918
Characteristics of Realism
• Expression of life as it is actually lived.
• Factual description of ordinary characters and events rather than larger-than-life heroes in imagined settings.
• Subject matter often consists of factories, slums, workers, bosses, criminals, and social outcasts. • Regionalism or local color. Focus on dialect, customs, and characters of a particular region.
Sometimes contains humor and social commentary. Background
• Very little important poetry and fiction directly from the Civil War, largely because few American writers saw the Civil War firsthand and direct accounts of the war found their way into other types of literature, including letters and diaries.
• We had to wait until the development of the realistic novel before the war found a place in American fiction.
Background (cont’d)
• After the Civil War, a new generation of writers developed in reaction to
Romanticism. They were known as realists, and they aimed at a very minute detail to the common course of life.
• Common subjects: slums of growing cities, factories and their workers, corrupt politicians, prostitutes, poor people
Background (cont’d)
• Realism sought to accurately portray real life without filtering it through personal feelings, romanticism, or idealism.
• How do these “heroes” differ from the
Romantic hero?
• Trends in realism include use of dialect, character development, and inclusion of detail. Regionalism
• Realism had its roots in regionalism, literature that emphasizes a specific geographic setting and makes use of the speech and manners of the people who live in that region. IT IS STILL VERY
IMPORTANT TODAY.
• The best known writer of regionalism is
Mark Twain.
• Kate Chopin - The Awakening; “A Pair of
Silk Stockings,” “The Story of an Hour”
Naturalism
• Believed human behavior was determined by forces beyond human control, human life is a grim, losing
1855-1918
Characteristics of Realism
• Expression of life as it is actually lived.
• Factual description of ordinary characters and events rather than larger-than-life heroes in imagined settings.
• Subject matter often consists of factories, slums, workers, bosses, criminals, and social outcasts. • Regionalism or local color. Focus on dialect, customs, and characters of a particular region.
Sometimes contains humor and social commentary. Background
• Very little important poetry and fiction directly from the Civil War, largely because few American writers saw the Civil War firsthand and direct accounts of the war found their way into other types of literature, including letters and diaries.
• We had to wait until the development of the realistic novel before the war found a place in American fiction.
Background (cont’d)
• After the Civil War, a new generation of writers developed in reaction to
Romanticism. They were known as realists, and they aimed at a very minute detail to the common course of life.
• Common subjects: slums of growing cities, factories and their workers, corrupt politicians, prostitutes, poor people
Background (cont’d)
• Realism sought to accurately portray real life without filtering it through personal feelings, romanticism, or idealism.
• How do these “heroes” differ from the
Romantic hero?
• Trends in realism include use of dialect, character development, and inclusion of detail. Regionalism
• Realism had its roots in regionalism, literature that emphasizes a specific geographic setting and makes use of the speech and manners of the people who live in that region. IT IS STILL VERY
IMPORTANT TODAY.
• The best known writer of regionalism is
Mark Twain.
• Kate Chopin - The Awakening; “A Pair of
Silk Stockings,” “The Story of an Hour”
Naturalism
• Believed human behavior was determined by forces beyond human control, human life is a grim, losing