Civil War Literature WHITMAN, REALISM AND NATURALISM

Walt Whitman Last of the Romantic poets – bridges the gap between the Romantics and Realists of the post Civil War Era Focused on the self, the physical body, and the potential of humanity Saw great potential in the country due to its immigrant roots and incredible diversity Also understood the more unpleasant parts of being a growing nation Fear Anger anxiety

Whitman’s Structure – or lack thereof Free Verse – poetic verse that lacks a regular rhythm, rhyme and meter Anaphora – repetition of phrases throughout poetry Catalog – list of items in poetry Diction – word choice, how the author influences meaning and interpretation with specific selection of words

Writer and Society Literary Forms for Expressing Social and Political Issues Muckraking journalism Slave spirituals Slave narratives – Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs Soldiers’ diaries and war journals Popular Literature Rags to riches tales Irony – Gift of the Magi Fantasy/escapist literature (Wizard of Oz) Realism, naturalism, and the Social and Political issues Depicts the reality and gruesomeness of war Rise of technology leads to fear and ill-favor Nature becomes the enemy of man A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation."

Place and Literature Writers of the North Tech advances -> movement into larger cities; bigger, stronger was better Writers focused on crowded environments, work, crime, immigrants, organized labor Southern Writers and the Physical Environment War destroyed the idyllic plantations of the south, leading to stories of loss and destitution Southern writers focused on the distinctive qualities of the south, genteelism, hospitality, racism, Expressions of Place in Civil War Writing Local color – dialects, accents, attitudes Mark Twain, Willa Cather, Zora Neale Hurston (later)

What makes American Literature American? Literary Elements Settings: wild west, riverboats, Yukon wilderness, battlefields, tenements, Language: common speech and dialects, vulgarities Humor: exposed corruption, dissect and deconstruct human problems Roles of Civil War Writers Realists – a more OBJECTIVE outlook, looked at hard facts not impressions Naturalists – pitted man against nature, with man losing more often than not People’s fate controlled by Heredity, environment, and social conditions People could NOT rise above their circumstances Writers tried to document the true settings and people of the time

Names and Terms to Know Fort Sumpter – Fort in SC where Civil War started Homestead Act – 1862, promised 160 acres to anyone who was willing to work them Guilded Age – period of low wages, disease, child labor, very few wealthy – conspicuous consumption Horatio Alger – wrote rags to riches tales for young adults The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Cranes novel about the Civil War, depicts the loss of innocence Local Color – character and details particular to a specific region, particularly the west and south.