REALISM Realism is the artistic response to the Civil War and the industrial/economic revolution that swept Europe and America in the last part of the 19 th century. Realism in America began in the late 1870s and by the 1890s had pretty much replaced Romanticism. Realism continues to dominate the mainstream of American Literature.

REALISM In literature, Realism is the presentation of actuality (as the writer perceives it) untouched by Romantic idealism. Mark Twain who became a Realist in the later part of his career, defined Realism very simply and very effectively: he said, “Realism is presentation of the unvarnished truth-all of it.”

Characteristics of Realism Special interest in the commonplace, the ordinary events of life. Concerned with all aspects of living, the unpleasant and sordid as well as the pleasant and noble. Emphasis on motives more than outward action and incident.

Characteristics of Realism Emphasis on the individual as a whole person, rather than concerned with character types. Tendency towards Determinism-the philosophical idea that we have no free will, that all the events of our lives-even the smallest events are caused or “determined” by forces totally beyond our control.

Characteristics of Realism Concern for social and economic problems and for the person who is cruelly manipulated by those problems. Realistic writers are very anxious to communicate the “whole truth” and for that reason they tend to use certain techniques which they feel are especially suited for their purposes.

Realistic Writing Techniques Stream-of-Consciousness: characterized by a flow of thoughts and images, which may not always appear to have a coherent structure or cohesion. The plot line may weave in and out of time and place, carrying the reader through the life span of a character or further along a timeline to incorporate the lives (and thoughts) of characters from other time periods.

Realistic Writing Techniques Writers who create stream-of-consciousness works of literature focus on the emotional and psychological processes that are taking place in the minds of one or more characters. Important character traits are revealed through an exploration of what is going on in the mind.

Realistic Writing Techniques Impressionism- techniques borrowed from painters. Impressionistic writing distorts things-the way they look, the way they sound, etc. The idea is to let the reader know how things looked and felt to a particular character. The whole idea is to bring out the inner reality, a very important part of “the whole truth.”

Naturalism Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character.

Naturalism It was depicted as a literary movement that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to such movements as Romanticism or Surrealism, in which subjects may receive highly symbolic, idealistic, or even supernatural treatment.

Naturalism Naturalistic writers were influenced by Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. They believed that one's heredity and social environment largely determine one's character. Whereas realism seeks only to describe subjects as they really are, naturalism also attempts to determine "scientifically" the underlying forces (e.g. the environment or heredity) influencing the actions of its subjects.

Naturalism Naturalistic works exposed the dark harshness of life, including poverty, racism, sex, violence, prejudice, disease, corruption, prostitution, and filth. As a result, naturalistic writers were frequently criticized for focusing too much on human vice and misery. A defining characteristic of naturalism is pessimism.

Naturalism Naturalism is an extension of realism, and may be better understood by study of the basic precepts of that literary movement. The term naturalism itself may have been used in this sense for the first time by Émile Zola. It is believed that he sought a new idea to convince the reading public of something new and more modern in his fiction. He argued that his innovation in fiction- writing was the creation of characters and plots based on the scientific method.