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American Realism. What is Realism?. Influenced by the Civil War and westward expansion. A reaction to the improbable plots and language found in Romanticism. Portrayed life as accurately as possible focusing on ordinary people suffering the harsh realities of every day life.
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What is Realism? Influenced by the Civil War and westward expansion. A reaction to the improbable plots and language found in Romanticism. Portrayed life as accurately as possible focusing on ordinary people suffering the harsh realities of every day life.
What are the characteristics of Realism? Examines realistic events in comprehensive detail. Focuses on the individual character Complex ethical choices are often the subject. Represents the interests and aspirations of a growing middle class. Events will usually be plausible. Diction is realistic, not poetic or flowery.
What were common themes of this movement? The harsh reality of war The degradation of humanity Social rebellion Betrayal Guilt
Who were the key authors of Realism? • Stephen Crane (1871-1900) • “An Episode of War”, The Red Badge of Courage • Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) • Runaway slave, gifted orator, newspaper publisher • Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave • My Bondage and My Freedom • Ambroise Bierce (1842-1914?) • Nicknamed “Bitter Bierce” • Employed “stream of consciousness” • A character’s thoughts are expressed in the way the human mind experiences them – in short bursts, without full sentences, and often without logical connections.
Regionalism • A category of Realism -- writers attempt to depict and analyze the distinctive and unique qualities unique to a geographical area and its people. Characteristics: • Local color: highlights characteristics and details unique to a specific area. • Physical details • Mood, time, place • Language • Dialect: language specific to a particular area of the country.
Realism began in America as Local Color • A synthesis of romantic plots and realistic descriptions of things; • Definition of Local Color: • Literature that focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region that exploits the speech, dress, mannerisms, and habits of that specific region .
Regionalism Dislike of change, nostalgia for an always-past Golden Age; Triumphant trickster or trickster tricked; Tall tale-tradition, conflicts described humorously, larger than life
Characteristics of Local Color/Regionalism • Setting—often remote and usually integral to the story; • Characters—more concerned with the character of the region than an individual—quaint, stereotypical; • Narrator-- an educated observer from the world beyond who’s often deceived • Emphasis on dialect • Use of stock characters • Plot—nothing much happens, revolves around the community and its rituals
Authors Associated with Regionalism • Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) • Use of humor – exaggeration and use of a “straight man”. • Frame narrative (a story framed by another story) • Accurate use of dialect • “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” • Bret Harte • Stories about the “Wild West” • Use of complex characters and colorful dialogue.
Naturalism • A category of Realism -- suggested that environment, heredity, and chance (forces that one could not understand or control) determined people’s fate. • In Naturalism, human beings are “human beasts”. • Nature is a cold, impersonal thing and thus humans are not given any “special” favors.
Authors Associated with Naturalism • Jack London • Themes like “survival of the fittest” are apparent his writing • “To Build a Fire” • Stories take place in a harsh environment
A Reaction against Romanticism “Nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material. “ William Dean Howells These authors sought to portray life as they saw it, insisting that the ordinary and local were just as suitable for art as the sublime.
