Introduction to Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. Written by Himself

Realism in American Literature, Adapted from Washington State University t/realism.htm

Definition Broadly defined as "the faithful representation of reality" or "verisimilitude," realism is a literary technique practiced by many schools of writing. Although strictly speaking, realism is a technique, it also denotes a particular kind of subject matter, especially the representation of middle-class life. A reaction against Romanticism, an interest in scientific method, the systematizing of the study of documentary history, and the influence of rational philosophy all affected the rise of Realism.

General Context In American literature, the term “Realism" encompasses the period of time from the Civil War to the turn of the century during which William Dean Howells, Rebecca Harding Davis, Henry James, Mark Twain, and others wrote fiction devoted to accurate representation and an exploration of American lives in various contexts. As the United States grew rapidly after the Civil War, the increasing rates of democracy and literacy, the rapid growth in industrialism and urbanization, an expanding population base due to immigration, and a relative rise in middle-class affluence provided a fertile literary environment for readers interested in understanding these rapid shifts in culture.

Characteristics Renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. Selective presentation of reality with an emphasis on verisimilitude, even at the expense of a well-made plot Character is more important than action and plot; complex ethical choices are often the subject. Characters appear in their real complexity of temperament and motive; they are in explicable relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, to their own past. Class is important; the novel has traditionally served the interests and aspirations of an insurgent middle class. (See Ian Watt, The Rise of the Novel) Events will usually be plausible. Realistic novels avoid the sensational, dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances.

More Characteristics Diction is natural vernacular, not heightened or poetic; tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact. Objectivity in presentation becomes increasingly important: overt authorial comments or intrusions diminish as the century progresses. Interior or psychological realism a variant form. In Black and White Strangers, Kenneth Warren suggests that a basic difference between realism and sentimentalism is that in realism, "the redemption of the individual lay within the social world," but in sentimental fiction, "the redemption of the social world lay with the individual" (75-76).

Quotes to Remember “Realism is nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material.” --William Dean Howells, “Editor’s Study,” Harper's New Monthly Magazine (November 1889), p "Realism, n. The art of depicting nature as it is seen by toads. The charm suffusing a landscape painted by a mole, or a story written by a measuring-worm." --Ambrose Bierce The Devil's Dictionary (1911)

Slave Narratives Adapted from Washington State University t/slave.htm

Definitions Narratives of slavery recounted the personal experiences of ante-bellum African Americans who had escaped from slavery and found their way to safety in the North. An essential part of the anti-slavery movement, these narratives drew on Biblical allusion and imagery, the rhetoric of abolitionism, the traditions of the captivity narrative, and the spiritual autobiography in appealing to their (often white) audiences. Some of these narratives bore a "frame" or preface attesting to their authenticity and to the sufferings described within.

Purposes Attempted to arouse the sympathy of readers in order to promote humanitarianism. Emphasized traditional Christian religious ideas. Showed acceptance of the ideals of the dominant white society Emphasized the cruelty of individual slave owners.

Influences King James Bible New England sermonizing traditions Rhetoric and aims of abolitionist orators Devotional books like Pilgrim's Progress.

Reasons for Popularity Lurid scenes of horror and violence that served as an acceptable gratification of the popular appetite for sensationalism. Religious influence: didactic content Interesting descriptions of life in the South Propaganda weapons during abolition and Civil War

Frequent Pattern: Modified Hero’s Journey Descent from state of innocence or peace into recognition of status (slavery) Progressive dehumanization at hands of masters and concomitant growth of self- reliance and decision-making, sometimes involving literacy A spiritual "bottoming-out" Resolve; for Douglass, the fight with Covey Flight and redemption

Frequently Repeated Motifs Exposes physical and emotional abuses of slavery: scenes of whipping, sexual abuse, starvation, especially of women or children Exposes (sometimes satirically) white owners' hypocrisy and inconstancy Describes repeated raising of narrator's expectations only to have them dashed by whites Describes quest for literacy Describes quest for freedom Includes vignettes of other character types and the experience of slavery: those who succeed and those who fail Makes overt appeals to imagined audience Details loss of significant family member(s) and the destruction of family ties

Style and Structure

Chiasmus A grammatical figure by which the order of words in one of two of parallel clauses is inverted in the other.- Oxford Dictionary “It's not the men in my life; it's the life in my men.” “One should eat to live not live to eat.” Also: a reversal of the order of words in the second of two parallel phrases He came in triumph and in defeat departs.

Antithesis A device by which two contrasting ideas are juxtaposed in parallel form. “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”- Lincoln “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” - Neil Armstrong "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." - Martin Luther King, Jr.