The Rise of Realism 1850-1900

The Civil War set the tone for Realism The Civil War set the tone for Realism.  Everyone thought the war would be very short -- spectators took picnics to the first battle. The war dragged on, deaths mounted, and people began to see the ugliness of war.

Different Views The poet, Walt Whitman, helped to nurse the soldiers. For this reason, he had an optimistic viewpoint that was brought on by the American character of the soldier. The author, Herman Melville, had a pessimistic viewpoint. His poems show “human nature being stripped bare, revealing not the heroism and strength that Whitman found, but, rather, humanity’s basic evil.”

Literature during the Civil War Works of historical interest were common (soldiers’ letters and diaries) Works of literary significance were very rare. Q: Why did an event of such magnitude result in such a scant literary output? A: Few major American writers saw the war firsthand. A: Traditional literary forms of the time were inadequate to express the horrifying details of the war. (The realistic novel had not been fully developed in the U.S.)

Realists emerged after the Civil War Writers who aimed at a very minute fidelity to the common course of ordinary life. Their subjects were drawn from the slums of the rapidly growing cities, from the factories that were replacing farmlands, and from the lives of far from idealized characters. Sought to explain why ordinary people behave the way they do – relied on the sciences of biology, psychology, and sociology.

Regionalism Literature that emphasizes a specific geographic setting and that makes use of the speech and manners of the people who live in that region. Realistic in depiction of speech patterns and manners Unrealistic in depiction of character and social environment Flourished again in 1920s and 1930s and is still important.

Famous Regionalists Sarah Orne Jewett, Kate Chopin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Bret Harte, Charles W. Chesnutt Mark Twain – best example of a regional writer whose Realism far surpassed local bounds.

William Dean Howells The most active proponent of Realism in American fiction. Insisted that Realism should: Deal with the lives of ordinary people Be faithful to the development of character, even at the expense of action Discuss the social questions perplexing America Famous for “smiling Realism” – portrayed an America where people may act foolishly, but where their good qualities eventually win out.

Frank Norris Viewed life as a much rougher clash of contrary forces than Howells did Saw Howells’s fiction as too strait-laced and narrow Used the novel to examine social institutions with the aim of reforming them. Naturalist.

Naturalism Relied heavily on the growing scientific disciplines of psychology and sociology Human behavior is determined by forces beyond the individual’s power, especially by biology and environment. Looked at human life as a grim losing battle. Characters often had only limited choices and motivations. Humans subject to natural laws of the universe – like animals, they lived crudely, by instinct, unable to control their own destinies.

Henry James America’s greatest writer of the psychological novel Concentrated on distinctions in character motivation. Did not believe humans driven by the Naturalist view of animal-like instincts Novels take place in Europe – more complex and sinister than American society

Stephen Crane Also known for his psychological novels Concentrated on human character at moments of stress Ironist – juxtaposed human pretensions with the indifference of the universe.

Stephen Crane “A man said to the universe: ‘Sir, I exist!’ ‘However,’ replied the universe, ‘The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation.’”