1. Regionalism, Naturalism, and Realism

2. Historical Context (~1870-1910)  Reconstruction in the South.  Transcontinental railroad finished. The frontier was closed in 1890.  The Industrial Revolution. Created very wealthy people (think of Carnegie, Rockefeller, etc.) Because of the excess, it is referred to as The Gilded Age. (*What is ‘gild’?)

3. Historical Context  There was a downside to all of the industrial growth.  Immigrants, freed slaves, children etc. became casualties of this new industrial age.

4. Realism  Writers depicted life in the way they saw it to be– not in the way they imagined it could be. People were disillusioned after the Civil War.  Photography also had an effect on this writing. Writers attempted to portray scenes of life in a photographic way. 

5. Regionalism  An outgrowth of Realism  AKA Local Color  Common characteristics are dialect and themes common to a certain culture. It focuses on a certain geographic region.  Some think Regionalism was a reaction to mass production.  Mood can be either nostalgic OR critical.

6. Naturalism  A literary movement characterized by a belief that people have little control over their own lives. Naturalist writers….focused on the powerful economic, social, and environmental forces that shape the lives of individuals.  Most Naturalist writers saw humans as animals and life as a trap.

7. Time Line  1880-1910  This time in America was one of expansion and growth. People began moving West.  Also, this was the time when America became the leading industrial nation.

8. Paul Laurence Dunbar  One of the first African-American poets to garner national attention.  “We Wear the Mask” –

11. Edwin Arlington Robinson  Characters are people who lack a sense of direction.  Use of verbal and situational irony.  Creates drama and tension through his structure.

14. Mark Twain  Wrote mainly about the Mississippi River and river valley.  One of the most famous American authors of all time.  Wrote Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

15. Mark Twain  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was criticized when it was first written because of its language and using the dirty, illiterate Huck as the narrator.

16. Kate Chopin

17.  1850-1904  First female writer to honestly show the struggles and concerns of women.  Most famous novella is The Awakening. It was widely criticized when it was first published.  Born in St. Louis, Missouri  Lived in New Orleans with her husband  Many publishers were not interested in publishing her work because of its controversial nature.

18. “The Story of an Hour”  External conflict–  Internal conflict–  Symbolism–  Irony--

19. “Desiree’s Baby” Kate Chopin  L’Abri– The Shelter  La Blanche– White  Cochon de lait– pig of the milk (suckling pig)  Corbeille is a French custom of an expensive gift given by the bridegroom to the bride, which was commonly displayed before the wedding.

20. “Desiree’s Baby”  Motif– A unifying element in an artistic work– esp. any recurrent image, symbol, theme, character type.

22. Willa Cather (1873-1947)  Cather’s family moved to Red Cloud, Nebraska when she was 9.  She wrote heavily about pioneer life and landscape.  One of her more common themes was the way that people deal with their past. This was because many of the people on the frontier were struggling with letting go of their lives before they went to the prairie.

23. “A Wagner Matinee”  German opera composer Wilhelm Richard Wagner.  The Homestead Act 1862– Signed by Lincoln. Anyone who had never taken up arms against the U.S. could receive a land grant of 160 acres.

24. What are some words that come to mind when you see this picture?

29. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

30. Naturalism  Causes: Second Industrial Revolution, Darwin’s Origin of the Species

31. Naturalism  Naturalistic “novels typically center around a social problem or vice affecting the lower classes of society and use a case study method to analyze how particular individuals fared under the circumstances.”

32. Naturalism  “Among these traits are a focus on the lower classes of society, characters are thwarted of their free will by external forces beyond their control including an indifferent nature, the settings are frequently urban, the world is random, details are not as important as in realism, and life is often cutthroat and cut short.”

33. Stephen Crane  Wrote Maggie: A Girl of the Streets  Died of tuberculosis at 28  Lived dichotomous life– often snobby, often living a wild life amongst the impoverished.

34. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets  Novella– A short novel

35. Edwin Arlington Robinson  “Richard Cory”  Rhyme Scheme  Purpose?  Irony—  Type?  Speaker?

36. ‘Miniver Cheevy’  Character of Miniver is….  It is ironic because….  In what way does Miniver see himself as being in a ‘trap’?

37. “The Open Boat”  Tone?