Realism Senior English Ms. Bloemker

When???? The literary movement called Realism started around the 1840’s.

Where???? The first Realist writers were from Europe, especially France. Realism eventually spread throughout the world and extended into literature and other arts

Why????? What was going on? When the Realist movement was taking place, the world was in a time of change and confusion. Does anyone have any ideas why this was true?

Industrial Revolution While the industrial revolution allowed the middle class to get richer, the working class was underpaid and overworked. Laws were eventually passed to make working conditions better, but conditions were still horrendous

Mass Production Things that used to be made by hand could now be made much faster and cheaper by machines. Can you think of anything that can be made much faster by a machine?

Railroads Trains were built across Europe and carried goods from the factories to the cities. How would railroads have helped to unite a nation?

Civil War and Reconstruction The United States went through a Civil War from 1861 until The war was ended when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves. The south was basically destroyed and many newly freed African Americans were trying to find their place in the world.

The Development of Nations Nationalism, or the belief that people who share a common culture make up a nation, became popular. Ethnic groups began wanting to be seen as a nation and revolts took place. In some place, like Germany, this eventually caused dictatorships and world wars. Is nationalism popular now?

Imperialism To make more money, Europe started looking for new places to get materials from. Europeans moved into Africa, dividing it into colonies. Europeans also gained some control in Asia and India.

What do you think? Taking over another country like this is called Imperialism… How do you think it effects the nations involved?

Reform There was also a lot of call for reform, or change, at this time. Change was desired in the factories Some women organized together in order to obtain the right to vote. This is called suffrage. However, no women were given the right at this time.

Successful Reforms Slavery was abolished in England in 1833 and in France in In the United States the slaves were freed in A free public education was granted to most European nations by the late 1800’s and in all of the American States by Do we have reform movements now? Are there any specifically in Kansas City?

Inventions and Breakthroughs Electricity and the light bulb were invented. The machine gun, photography, x-rays, aspirin, and antiseptics were just a few other inventions. A French chemist named Louis Pasteur discovered that bacteria caused disease. The automobile and telephone were invented as well, but they did not have their full impact until later in the century.

Can you imagine? Can you imagine how these inventions changed people’s everyday lives? What were some ways that life would have changed? What do you think were positive things that happened in this time period? What about negative?

What????? The literature that arouse out of this era was called Realism. It dealt with the accurate, or realistic, portrayal of life in literature. Realists wrote in a detached manner. They were observing and recording facts. This is different from the emotional and imaginative Romantics. Instead of having elaborate plots, Realists focused on everyday occurrences. Because Realists were writing accurate portrayals of life, their works often did not have happy endings. Gustave Courbet’s “The Stone Breakers”

Who????? Realists wrote about the daily struggles and disappointments of ordinary people. The characters in their writings were often peasants, businessmen, or housewives. Everyone, even the upper-class characters were portrayed with faults. Honore Daumier Painting

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