Realism Window to a New World

Setting in motion Guilded Age: First millionaires Growth of leisure class Class distinctions more clear (lower vs. upper class) Increased development of cities (urbanization) African Americans move North Frontier (West) to be developed Immigration huge Railroad Everything based on development of Railroad Nation-wide transportation

Setting in motion… Sociology becomes a scientific study Progressivism: Sociology: study of society as scientific thing Apply Darwin “Survival of the Fittest” in society Social Darwinism says strong survive in society Not actual Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Justifies the government being laissez-faire (hands off) Horatio Alger: example of self-made man so anyone can do it Progressivism: Society can be manipulated scientifically

Setting in motion… Journalism develops as a trade: journalistic method Development of realist credo: hold window to the world Verisimilitude: Something appears true, and is true, and everyone sees the same thing. Hegelian Dialectic: Thesis butts against antithesis gets to synthesis Synthesis butts against antisynthesis gets better synthesis etc.

Authors Kate Chopin: Notice Leisure Class She tries to just let you see how things are, not make judgments

Walt Whitman Born May 31, 1819, Left school at 11 in Huntington, Long Island, the 2nd of 9 children. Left school at 11 Read books from the library Got very wrapped up in the Civil War Worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but Leaves of Grass was too controversial

Walt Whitman Inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson (Transcendentalist) Creates Free Verse No set rhyme Poetry matched spoken rhythm of lyrical opera Published the first edition of Leaves of Grass on his own Rejected by others He didn’t put a name- just a picture Worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but Leaves of Grass was too controversial so he was fired Scandal? Wrote about American’s every day lives Wrote about sex Wrote about same-sex relations Always ask ourselves: Does it matter? No.

Emily Dickenson Born 1830, died 1886 2nd child of 3 Her sister stays unmarried like Emily Her brother marries her best friend Goes away to school Hates it. Moves back home with sister and parents Brother and best friend live next door. All she wants to do is write

Emily Dickenson Failed at Female Seminary Tries writing for a living She contemplates Christianity sometimes as of course and sometimes as maybe not Influenced by secular (non church) novels just like the Bible Tries writing for a living Original Emo Enjambment: use of weird line endings (not where punctuation is) Publishes using fascicles Grouped poems by theme Sewn together in little folders No one likes her variations on standard form People try to edit her work, very little of it gets published Her brother’s mistress wants it published Only after her death does it become famous

Edith Wharton Wharton family around since Colonial Times Wharton family moved to Europe for 6 years after Civil War Return at age 10 Unsupportive Family Read all the time Depressed Married Very unhappy Had affair with friend of a friend First woman to get honorary doctorate from Yale Wharton writes during World War I as she helps organize people.