1. Of Mice & Men
By John Steinbeck

2. Romanticism vs. Realism
Romanticism and Realism were major literary movements in American history.
Romanticism was popular from the early 1800s to the Civil War.
Realism began as a result of the Civil War and remained popular into the early 1900s.

3. Romantic Movement
The Romantic Movement preceded the Realistic Movement
Romantics believed in ideals:
They valued the purity and divinity of nature.
They believed that humans were inherently good.
They valued child-like innocence.
They believed that cities were corrupt and migrated away from them.
They were known for great works of humanitarianism.

4. Realism
Realists believed in focusing on reality without sugar-coating the truth.
Naturalism is a branch of Realism that adheres to the following ideas:
Only strong beings are able to survive and often survive at the expense of weaker beings.
The destinies of all beings are controlled by Nature and other universal forces beyond their control.
Although humans believe they are superior beings, they still often act based on animal instincts.
Animal instinct is superior to human intelligence.
Human life is a grim, losing battle.
Naturalist authors were interested in the impact of social forces on the individual.

5. Homework:
You are to close read and annotate the first three paragraphs of chapter one of Of Mice and Men and answer the questions below.
1. Based only on these three paragraphs, determine if John Steinbeck was a Romantic author or a Realistic author. Support your claim with the text.
2. What is Steinbeck subtly claiming about the opposite views? (Example: If you think he's a Romantic, what claim is he making against Realists? OR If you think he's a Realist, what claim is he making against Romantics?) Support your claim with the text.