Realism 1855-1900s

Lesson Focus Use inference to draw conclusions about characters and their motives Determine plot action and development in literature by identifying the various types of conflict and discussing how those conflicts are resolved Determine period-specific vocabulary

A Changing America Before 1860, most Americans lived on farms or in small villages. Over 23 million foreigners flowed into the United States between 1860 and 1910. By 1919 half of the population concentrated in about 12 cities; this led to rapid urbanization

Rapid Urbanization Problems of urbanization and industrialization: poor and overcrowded housing unsanitary conditions low pay (called "wage slavery") difficult working conditions inadequate restraints on business

Wealth and America In 1860, there were fewer than 100 millionaires; by 1875, there were more than 1,000. From 1860 to 1914, the United States was transformed from a small, young, agricultural ex-colony to a huge, modern, industrial nation. A debtor nation in 1860, by 1914 it had become the world's wealthiest state, with a population that had more than doubled, rising from 31 million in 1860 to 76 million in 1900. By World War I, the United States had become a major world power.  

Alienation As industrialization grew, so did alienation. Characteristic American novels of the period depict the damage of economic forces and alienation of the weak or vulnerable individual Writers recognized these emotions, and a new period of American writing was born: Realism

REALISM A tendency to deal with ordinary people in ordinary situations Objective attempts to mirror life- “telling it like it is.”

Realism Realism developed as a reaction against Romanticism and stressed the real over the fantastic The movement sought to treat the commonplace truthfully and used characters from everyday life Writers probed the recesses of the human mind via an exploration of the emotional landscape of characters This emphasis was brought on by societal changes sparked by The Origin of Species by Darwin, the Higher Criticism of the Bible, and the aftermath of the Civil War

Stephen Crane (1871-1900) American Realist

Early Life Crane was born in Newark, New Jersey, on November 1, 1871, as the 14th child of a Methodist minister He started to write stories at the age of eight, and at 16 he was writing articles for major newspapers

At 14 Crane enrolled at Pennington Seminary in Pennington, NJ Crane attended several more colleges, finally dropping out to write full-time for the New York Tribune Claverack College

Crane had roots in Revolutionary War soldiers, clergymen, sheriffs, judges, and farmers who had lived a century earlier. He was primarily a journalist who also wrote fiction, essays, poetry, and plays; Crane saw life at its rawest, in slums and on battlefields His short stories--in particular, “The Open Boat,” “The Blue Hotel,” and “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”--exemplified the short story form

After his mother's death in 1890, Crane moved to New York, living a bohemian life and working as a free-lance writer and journalist He supported himself by his writings, living among the poor in the slums

Crane witnessed two wars as a war correspondent; he saw battles first hand His ability to write with compassion and realism brought a special quality to his work

Selected Stories and Novels “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” “The Open Boat” “Death and the Child” “The Blue Hotel” Active Service Maggie: A Girl of the Streets The Red Badge of Courage The Blue Hotel

The Red Badge of Courage In 1893, Crane began writing The Red Badge of Courage, based on the Civil War Ironically, it was written before he witnessed a real battle The full version, published in 1895, brought him international fame

After the success of The Red Badge of Courage and book of poetry, The Black Riders, Crane became obsessed with war He was hired to go to Cuba as a journalist to report on the rebellion against the Spanish. He was shipwrecked on the way to the island and originally reported dead.

He rowed to shore in a dinghy, along with three other men, having to swim to shore and drop his money in the sea to prevent from drowning This experience directly led to his most famous short story "The Open Boat" (1897)

After this experience, Crane wrote for magazines While staying in Jacksonville, Florida, he met the owner of a brothel, Cora Taylor. They fell in love, and she followed him to Greece where he was assigned to report on the Greco-Turkish war; she stayed with him until his death

In 1898, Crane settled in Sussex, England, with Taylor In 1899, he returned to Cuba to cover the Spanish-American War. Due to poor health, he was obliged to return to England. Crane died at age 28 on June 5, 1900, in a Badenweiler, Germany, sanatorium for tuberculosis, which was worsened by a malarial fever he had caught in Cuba.

Literary Term Suspense - A sense of uncertainty or anxiety about the outcome of events in a story or drama

The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, page 3 Read section 1 in class View the accompanying video Complete reading the story

Class Work Construct a complete characterization of the men in the bar Use information from the text to draw conclusions (infer) about the motives of Potter and Scratchy

Homework Language Arts, pages 13-14, #s 1 and 2 Literary Critique, page 13, #s 1-5