REALISM LATE 19TH CENTURY BASIC CHARACTERISTICS

First Characteristic Depicts commonplace experiences happening to average people No extremes Nothing improbable

Second Characteristic Characters are more important than plot Emphasizes characterization Two types of characterization Direct Indirect

Third Characteristic Rejections of Romanticism Quest for beauty Faraway settings Gothic themes Reliance on imagination Improbable events Larger than life heroes Realism Life can be ugly Familiar settings Reality is scary enough Reliance on familiar Commonplace events Average people

Fourth Characteristic Emphasis on relativistic morality Considers impact of actions on other people Considers impact of actions on society as a whole

Fifth Characteristic Implied belief in free will People can change their environment instead of just reacting to it Character is superior to circumstances

Some Important Authors Walt Whitman Emily Dickinson Sarah Orne Jewett Bret Harte Mark Twain Henry James Kate Chopin Henry Adams