Preview

The Influence of Realism and Naturalism on 20th Century American Fiction

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2212 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Influence of Realism and Naturalism on 20th Century American Fiction
The Influence of Realism and Naturalism on 20th Century American Fiction After World War I, American people and the authors among them were left disillusioned by the effects that war had on their society. America needed a literature that would explain what had happened and what was happening to their society. American writers turned to what is now known as modernism. The influence of 19th Century realism and naturalism and their truthful representation of American life and people was evident in post World War I modernism. This paper will try to prove this by presenting the basic ideas and of these literary genres, literary examples of each, and then make connections between the two literary movements. Realism Modernism not only depicted American society after World War I accurately and unbiasedly, but also tried to find the solutions brought upon by the suffering created by the war (Elliott 705). The realistic movement of the late 19th century saw authors accurately depict life and it's problems. Realists attempted to "give a comprehensive picture of modern life" (Elliott 502) by presenting the entire picture. They did not try to give one view of life but instead attempted to show the different classes, manners, and stratification of life in America. Realists created this picture of America by combining a wide variety of "details derived from observation and documentation..." to "approach the norm of experience..." (3). Along with this technique, realists compared the "objective or absolute existence" in America to that of the "universal truths, or observed facts of life" (Harvey 12). In other words, realists objectively looked at American society and pointed out the aspects that it had in common with the general truths of existence. This realistic movement evolved as a result of many changes and transitions in American culture. In the late 1800's, the United States was experiencing "swift growth and change" as a result of a changing economy, society, and


Cited: "American Literature". Compton 's Interactive Encyclopedia (Computer Program) 1995 Bradley, Sculley. The American Tradition in Literature. New York City: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1967: 1336-1342 Elliott, Emory. Columbia Literary History of the United States. New York City:Columbia University Press:1988, 502-504, 599 "Faulkner, William". Compton 's Interactive Encyclopedia (Computer Program) 1995 "Fitzgerald, Scott F.". Compton 's Interactive Encyclopedia (Computer Program) 1995 Hart, James D. The Oxford Companion to American Literature. New York City:Oxford University Press, 1995: 284-285 Pizer, Donald. Realism and Naturalism. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1966: 3, 10-11 Spiller, Robert E. The Cycle of American Literature. New York City: The MacMillan Company, 1966: 269-303 Spiller, Robert E. et al. Literary History of the United States. New York City: The MacMillan Publishing Company, 1974: 1300

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Howells, William Dean. “Editha.” The American Tradition in American Literature. Ed. George Perkins and Barbara Perkins. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 391-400.…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hawthorne, N. (2009). Young Goodman Brown. In M. Myers, The Compact Bedford Introdution to Literature (pp. 325-333). Boston: Bedford/St.Martin 's.…

    • 1670 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    * Yang, Vincent. "The American Scholar." Salem Press Magill’s Survey of American Literature. (2006). ebscohost. Database. 18 Mar 2013.…

    • 2561 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When reading some of the vast list of stories and poems dubbed American literature, it seems as though every genre and style of writing is represented, from science fiction to romance, adventure to tragedy. What sets these books apart from those written in other countries? When considering the degree of “Americanness” of a piece of writing is, one must consider how well it describes the intended era and how well it portrays American values such as freedom and equality.…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cited: Perkins, George, and Barbara Perkins. The American Tradition in Literature. 12th. New York City: McGrawHill, 2009. Print.…

    • 1232 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The vast and varying apparatus that is american literature has been an influence to this country in astounding ways. More specifically, the literature wrote in the colonial period or the 1620s-1776, demonstrates growth and changes within our country. There is a large variety of different literature wrote within this time, some influencing our country and setting roots down for the future of american culture and history. Native Americans, Puritans and Rationalism have contributed to developing this diverse array of American Literature from the colonial time period.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Henry Louis Gates Jr. general editor, Nellis Y. McKay general editor 2nd edition The Norton AnthologyAfrican American Literature noron2004 new york…

    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    phillip wheatly

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Who were America's earliest writers and what were their concerns? – Thomas Paine, Phillis wheatley, brad street…

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Tim O'Brien Research Paper

    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Hacht, Anne, and Hayes D. Dwayne., ed. Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of American Literature. 4 vols. Detroit: Gale Press, 2009. Print.…

    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Burt, Daniel S. The Chronology of American Literature: America’s Literary Achievements from the Colonial Era to Modern Times…

    • 1582 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Transcendentalism, as defined by Dictionary.com, is "any philosophy based upon the doctrine that the principles of reality are to be discovered by the study of the processes of thought, or a philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical…" (Transcendentalism). This new philosophy created a rebellion and turn away from the traditional religions in the United States. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are two primary authors and promoters of Transcendentalism. In this paper I will be focusing on Emerson 's Nature and Thoreau 's Walden, or Life in the Woods, from now on to be referred to as simply Walden, to show the rebellion against religion and the quest to know one 's self through a different way.…

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages

    2. Wiggins, Grant. Et al. Literature: The American Experience, Ed. Grant Wiggins. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey; Pearson, 2010…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Many times the thoughts and works of great authors and writers are published before the general public is ready for the graphic images that these works create. Only after society has become more accepting of situations over time, can these works truly be appreciated instead of facing disapproval from society. Tragically, often times it takes many years and countless hours of revisions to tone down the work to fit within the moral mold that society creates for itself. Stephen Crane was one of those authors who wanted to use his works to show his readers and the general population the things that are often just swept under the rug. In Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane, many controversial topics are addressed which led to problems with publication.…

    • 2216 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    America — a land known for its ideals of freedom and new opportunities, a nation built under the idea that every man and women is created equal. However, the definition of what makes a person an American is entirely different from what it is that makes up America, itself. J.Hector St. John Crevecoeur, author of Letters from an American Farmer (1782), exposes what he believes makes an American. However, when compared to the standards of what makes an American in today’s world, it seems that becoming an American then was much simpler then, than it is today. The definition of an American is always evolving due to the influences of our changing nation. During a simpler time, Crevecoeur defined an American as someone of European descent with great ambition but as the times have changed, so has the definition of an American.…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author of The Quiet American book; Graham Greene, explores the theme of idealism vs. realism strongly but delicately; because it is present as the background of the novel. In this paper, I will try to give my feelings and arguments of how I think the author managed to deliver a complete story with more than just one theme. The one that caught my attention this time is the most relevant one; the analogy between idealism and realism.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays