1. American Realism
Junior English

2. American Literature The Puritan Era Age of Reason Romanticism Realism
Contemporary and Post-Modern Period
The Puritan Era
Age of Reason
Romanticism
Realism
Transcendentalism
Modernism
1946 – Present

3. Realism in Literature Interrupts & Rejects Romanticism: No 5 I’s
Emphasized reality - from real life experiences
Familiar settings, ordinary characters
Plots = normal daily experience, even bad ones
Modern Example:
Percy Jackson vs. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
(Romantic) (Realist)

4. 3 Influences Division – Civil War Reconciliation – rebuilding nation
Expansion – westward; industrial rev, immigration

5. Division Civil War –Nation divided
Stories about the front lines: tragedy & fear

6. Reconciliation Voices from prev unheard Women
Specific Regions – Dialects (accents) & ways of life
Slave Narratives

7. Expansion West – Homestead Act, Railroad transportation
Industrial Rev – move from rural to urban = new tech, pollution
Immigration – from Europe & Asia; to urban areas; prejudice

8. Characteristics Details reality closely
Events are plausible (realistic)
Characters = difficult situations & ethical choices, have flaws
Class struggles (poor vs rich)
Natural vernacular = normal, matter-of-fact way of speaking, possibly accents