1. The Civil War and Postwar Period 1850–1900
The Rise of Realism
The Civil War and Postwar Period
1850–1900

2. What Is Realism?
Realism is a style of writing, developed in the nineteenth century, that attempts to depict life accurately without idealizing or romanticizing it.
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3. Realism vs. Romanticism
Emphasizes accuracy and objectivity
Depicts common, everyday heroes
Views the world scientifically
Focuses on real-life situations
ROMANTICISM
Emphasizes imagination and emotion
Depicts larger-than-life heroes
Views the world poetically
Focuses on exotic, supernatural, and imaginary worlds

4. What Caused the Rise of Realism?
Several events and conditions led to the rise of realism.
The Civil War
Advances in Technology
Advances in Science and Education
Social Changes

5. The Civil War and Realism
The Civil War was a major cause of the rise of realism in America. The four-year conflict
destroyed cities, industries, and lives
left bitter memories and economic desolation in the South
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6. Technology and Realism
Technological advances also contributed to the rise of realism in America.
Photography allowed people to see real, sometimes dismaying, images of war and poverty.
Telephones and coast-to-coast railways allowed more people than ever to hear about events that affected the nation.

7. Science, Education, and Realism
Advances in psychology, biology, and geology contradicted long-held beliefs about the nature of humans, the world, and the universe.
More people, especially women, minorities, and the poor, had access to an education and learned to read.
Newspapers and the new mass-circulation magazines were widely read.

8. Social Changes and Realism
In 1865 the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, outlawing slavery, was ratified.
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9. Social Changes and Realism
Industrialization led to overpopulation and poverty in the cities.
The agrarian economy of the South was devastated by the war and by the loss of slave labor.
Many newly freed slaves and other Southerners moved to Northern cities looking for work.

10. Social Changes and Realism
Industrialization led to overpopulation and poverty in the cities.
Immigrants from strife-torn Europe arrived in great numbers.
The Granger Collection, New York
Northern cities grew quickly and without planning. Slums housed many of the new arrivals.

11. Realistic Literature
Contains themes that center on contemporary society and on the lives of the middle and lower classes
Describes the details, even when unpleasant, of everyday life
Features characters drawn from the poor and outcast of society
Avoids extravagant language in favor of simpler, everyday diction

12. Realistic Literature
Tries to show real life without letting personal feelings or idealistic thoughts color the writing
Brings science to the story to explain human behavior

13. Regionalism: American Realism
Regionalism is literature that emphasizes a specific geographic setting and reproduces the speech, behavior, and attitudes of the people who live in that region.
Regionalist writers differed from strict realists by portraying their characters in a somewhat sentimental fashion.
Some important American regionalists are Sarah Orne Jewett, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Bret Harte, and Mark Twain.

14. Naturalism: One Step Further
Naturalism is a nineteenth-century literary movement that was an extension of realism and that claimed to portray life exactly as it was. Naturalists
relied heavily on the new fields of psychology and sociobiology
argued that behavior was determined by heredity and environment and was beyond human control
Important American naturalists include Stephen Crane, Theodore Dreiser, and Frank Norris.

15. A Harsh Reality A man said to the universe: “Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”
from War Is Kind by Stephen Crane

16. What Have You Learned?
1. Regionalism describes the speech, behavior, and attitudes of the people in a particular geographic area.
a. true b. false
2. Realistic novelists reject
a. scientific explanations b. dialogue
c. accurate detail d. glorious heroes
3. Naturalists try to describe people
a. sentimentally b. idealistically
c. objectively d. romantically

17. The End