Realism (1865-1915)
Realism Reaction against Romanticism Literature/poetry didn’t sugarcoat anything – reflected the “real world” Focused on the lives of ordinary people (much like Romantics did), but it rejected the notion that ordinary people were heroic or went on fantastic adventures Child in a Straw Hat, Mary Cassatt
Realism Anti-materialism – rejected the American “class” system View of nature different than Romantics Nature = powerful/indifferent force beyond man’s control Naturalism Sub-genre of Realism Universe unpredictable Fate is up to chance Free will is an illusion Characters shaped by forces they can’t control
Motifs/Themes of Realism Survival of the fittest Life is unpredictable Violence is inevitable Nature is indifferent Work to change social problems Adolf Schreyer : Wallachian Blizzard
Realist/Naturalist Authors Harriet Beecher Stowe Uncle Tom’s Cabin Fredrick Douglas Escaped slave; famous speaker; autobiography most famous Mark Twain Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn Stephen Crane Red Badge of Courage Jack London Call of the Wild To Build a Fire Bret Harte the Old West Kate Chopin The Awakening Willa Cather My Antonia