1. American Realism, Regionalism & Naturalism
(ish)

2. What is Realism?
Prominent from
A faithful representation of reality in literature (also known as “verisimilitude”).
Emphasis on development of believable characters.
Written in natural vernacular, or dialect.

3. Why did Realism develop?
As a reaction to Romanticism – Life was no longer seen through “rose colored glasses”
The Civil War
The urbanization and industrialization of America
The emerging middle class
Upheaval and social change in the latter half of the 19th century
Increasing rates of democracy and literacy

4. Characteristics of Realism
Reaction against Romanticism and Neoclassicism
Factual is more important than intellectual or emotional  
Atheistic
Life is driven by fate
Tells the stories of everyday people
Use of details more important than plot
In diction, seeks to use natural language

5. Realist Writers Mark Twain William Dean Howells Henry James
Edgar Lee Masters

6. What is Regionalism? Often called “local color” Focuses on
Prominent from
Often called “local color”
Focuses on
characters,
dialect,
customs,
topography,
and other features
specific to a certain region
(eg. the South)
Coincided with Realism and sharing many of the same traits.

7. Why did Regionalism develop?
The Civil War and the building of a national identity
Dual influence of Romanticism and Realism
An outgrowth of realism with more focus on a particular setting and its influence over characters

8. Regionalist Writers Kate Chopin—South
Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman—New England
Mark Twain—West
Willa Cather—Midwest

9. What is Naturalism?
Naturalism is the view that nature is all there is and all basic truths are truths of nature
Prominent from (ish)
Applied scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to the study of human beings.
Influenced by Darwinism (natural selection) and psychology (Freud)
Posited that men were controlled by heredity and environment.
Often depict man in conflict with nature, society, or himself.

10. Why did Naturalism develop?
The swell of immigrants in the latter half of the 19th century, which led to a larger lower class and increased poverty in the cities
The prominence of psychology and the theories of Sigmund Freud
Pessimism in the wake of the Civil War and Reconstruction
Publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species

11. Distinctions of Naturalism
A man said to the universe:  "Sir, I exist!"  "However," replied the universe,  "The fact has not created in me  A sense of obligation."
--Stephen Crane
Life is Mechanical
People are the subjects of scientific case studies.
Tone is often coldly scientific.
Details and nature are chaotic because life is a series of chaos.
Studies society to correct the evils found there.
Drops artificial concepts of plot and action for a "slice of life."
Main characters are usually low on
the social scale; often morally frail

12. Naturalist Writers Stephen Crane Ambrose Bierce Jack London
Edwin Arlington Robinson
Katherine Anne Porter
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Edith Wharton

13. Points to Remember…
Realism, Regionalism, and Naturalism are intertwined and connected.
Their influence has dominated most literature created since 1920, though the movement itself is dated to roughly that point.
They are truly American modes of writing.