1. Get Real!
REALISM

2. Realism is “the truthful treatment of material.”
William Dean Howells
Realism is “the truthful treatment of material.”
Tell it like it is.

3. Enter the middle class hero
Forget the kings, the nobles, the mucky-mucks!
Enter the middle class hero

4. NOW
THEN
Rise of Realism
Late 19th Century
Still a force in literature

5. Down with Romanticism
IN WITH REALISM

6. Message: Pragmatic, practical, purposeful
Settings: Realistic
Here and now
Science Fiction as well
Message: Pragmatic, practical, purposeful
Universe has meaning
Meaningful God probably exists
Man has freedom of choice, no Determinism [Fate]
Man and Society:
Improvable, if through correct moral actions
Worthwhile

7. What's Real?
For Plato, the universal ideal or “form” is real, and everything we see before us is an illusion or a copy of the ideal
PLATO

8. What's Real?
For Aristotle, the material world is real, but the universal truth is discovered by observing the material particulars and extracting general principles out of them.
ARISTOTLE

9. What's Real?
Science Fiction
Westerns
Fantasy
Cartoons

10. What's Real? What about “blood and guts”? Critic Lionel Trilling asks:
If most of us have never been to war or never been involved in street violence, how can we “test” the reality of these experiences? Therefore, to Trilling the most “realistic” literature is that which accurately depicts daily, “homely” life that all of us can relate to.
Saving Private Ryan

11. What's Real? When does reality end and fiction begin?
Reality: Authentic
Accurate
Actual experiences
What about reality TV?

12. YOUR CHALLENGE:
Each of the novels you will read is a novel of SOCIAL PROTEST, a novel that tested the beliefs of the day.
Each of the novels is a REALISTIC novel, yet each” contains elements of Romanticism and Naturalism.
Each of the novels was pivotal in changing society’s BELIEF SYSTEMS.
As you read, react to the realism, reflect on the Romanticism and Naturalism, analyze the author’s purpose, relate to universal themes, identify key symbols, demonstrate your critical understanding of the novel.

13. Work Cited
Thorpe, Peter. Thirty-five Literary Ideas.Needham Heights, MA: Ginn Press