American Realism 1865 - 1910

Definition Literary period in which writers focused on the faithful representation of reality.

History of the Time Post Civil War Rapid growth in Rates of democracy Literacy Industrialization Urbanization Expanding population due to immigration Rise in Middle Class in·dus·tri·al·ize       ɪnˈdʌs tri əˌlaɪz/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[in-duhs-tree-uh-lahyz] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -ized, -iz·ing. –verb (used with object) 1.to introduce industry into (an area) on a large scale. 2.to convert to the ideals, methods, aims, etc., of industrialism. –verb (used without object) 3.to undergo industrialization. 4.to follow or espouse industrialism. urbanization The process by which cities grow or by which societies become more urban. ur·ban       ˈɜr bən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ur-buh n] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adjective 1.of, pertaining to, or designating a city or town. 2.living in a city. 3.characteristic of or accustomed to cities; citified:

Characteristics of Realism Humanities freedom of choice is limited by the power of outside forces Perceived the individual as simply a person Realists were pragmatic, relativistic, democratic and experimental How will this affect the literature of the time period? (think of the literary devices and how they are used) prag·mat·ic       prægˈmæt ɪk/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[prag-mat-ik] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adjective 1.of or pertaining to a practical point of view or practical considerations. 2.Philosophy. of or pertaining to pragmatism (def. 2). 3.of or pertaining to pragmatics (defs. 1, 2). 4.treating historical phenomena with special reference to their causes, antecedent conditions, and results. 5.of or pertaining to the affairs of state or community. 6.Archaic. a.busy; active. b.officious; meddlesome; interfering. c.dogmatic; opinionated. rel·a·tiv·ism       ˈrɛl ə təˌvɪz əm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[rel-uh-tuh-viz-uh m] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun Philosophy. any theory holding that criteria of judgment are relative, varying with individuals and their environments. de·moc·ra·cy       dɪˈmɒk rə si/ Pronunciation KeyShow Spelled Pronunciation[di-mok-ruh-see] Pronunciation KeyShow IPA Pronunciation –noun, plural -cies. 1.government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

Characteristics of Realist Literature Plot Drew on the grim realities of everyday life The middle class and the urban poor Complex ethical choices Events are plausible Avoided sensational or dramatic elements Setting Close to reality Comprehensive detail plau·si·ble       ˈplɔ zə bəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[plaw-zuh-buh l] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adjective 1.having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable: a plausible excuse; a plausible plot. 2.well-spoken and apparently, but often deceptively, worthy of confidence or trust: a plausible commentator.

Characters Characters are more important than action or plot Have an important ethical decision to make Characters appear in real complexity of temperament and motive Relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, and to their own past Class is important Usually middle class or poor Characters spoke in regional dialect and/or diction

Other Characteristics Relations between people and society are explored Purpose of writing was to instruct and entertain Language is not heightened or poetic No allegory or symbolism everything was clearly communicated Depended on the use of images Tone may be comic, satiric or matter-of-fact Objectivity in the presentation is important Objective: not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased: an objective opinion.

Principles of Realism 1. Insistence upon and defense of "the experienced commonplace". 2. Character more important than plot. 3. Attack upon romanticism and romantic writers. 4. Emphasis upon morality often self-realized and upon an examination of idealism. 5. Concept of realism as a realization of democracy.

Realist Authors Henry James William Dean Howells Mark Twain

Techniques used by Realist Writers 1. Settings thoroughly familiar to the writer 2. Plots emphasizing the norm of daily experience 3. Ordinary characters, studied in depth 4. Complete authorial objectivity 5. Responsible morality; a world truly reported

Mark Twain 1835—Missouri Trained as riverboat pilot Pen name: safe water Humorist, lecturer, journalist, author Nationally recognized in his time

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Written by Mark Twain Finished in 1883 and ready for publication in 1884 Set in St. Petersburg Missouri by the Mississippi River Story of a young boy, Huck, and his adventures with a slave named Jim as he is travels to freedom

Characters Huckleberry Finn -  The protagonist and narrator of the novel. Huck is thirteen. Tom Sawyer -  Huck’s friend Widow Douglas and Miss Watson -  Two wealthy sisters who live together in a large house in St. Petersburg and who adopt Huck. Jim -  One of Miss Watson’s household slaves. Pap -  Huck’s father, the town drunk and ne’er-do-well. Judge Thatcher  -  The local judge who shares responsibility for Huck with the Widow Douglas and is in charge of safeguarding the money that Huck and Tom found at the end of Tom Sawyer.

Gustav Courbet– The Stone Breakers

Henry O. Tanner The Banjo Lesson

AMERICAN NATURALISM

Madeleine Danova: Darwin's most famous book was at first envisaged as only a brief overview of his central case, that "species have changed, and are still slowly changing by the preservation and accumulation of successive slight favorable variations." Inevitably, it drew in a broad range of the issues and evidence he had been contemplating for so long. He began writing in July 1858, and the whole text, totaling nearly 500 pages, was in proof by the following September. By the time it was first offered for sale to the public, on November 22nd 1859, the first edition of 1250 copies (less review and presentation copies) had all been taken by the trade. Darwin's apprehension about public response to the book can be seen in his careful choice of the two epigraphs that face the title-page. Charles Darwin On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, or, The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for life. London: John Murray, 1859 Revealed the animalistic struggle underlying all human behaviour 22

Naturalist Characters A thoroughly different sense of character emerges: - dehumanized - determined - moved by inner and outer forces beyond conscious moral control 23

Naturalist Vs. Realist Characters Realist characters - effective choice, free will, autonomous action Each character has the ability to choose and characteristically does so through scenes that enact a process of deliberation Weighing of alternative actions through consideration of consequences The possibilities for the self are conceived in terms of responsible choice 24