Intro. notes to realism & Civil War period

1. Intro. notes to realism & Civil War period 1855 - 1870

2. Historical Context • A cultural divide began to spread between the North and South during the period leading up to the Civil War. • While the South’s economy was based on agriculture and therefore was dependent upon slave labor, the North’s economy was based on manufacturing.

3. Historical Context • Abraham Lincoln, who openly denounced the spread of slavery, was elected in 1860, and his election, in part, fueled the start of The Civil War. • The South seceded to form The Confederate States of America.

4. Emancipation Proclamation • This proclamation, delivered on January 1, 1863, declared that slaves residing in secessionist states were free. http://www.history.com/shows/classroom/videos/gilder-lehrman-the-emancipation-proclamation#gilder-lehrman-the-emancipation-proclamation • What was the purpose of this important document? • What exceptions limit the effect of Lincoln’s proclamation? (lines 5-7) • Why is this a significant document of the Civil war period?

5. Frederick douglass • Endured 21 years as a slave before escaping to freedom in the North • Gave powerful speeches, leading the abolitionist cause • Published Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave in 1845 • Advised President Lincoln during the Civil War http://www.history.com/videos/the-underground-railroad-frederick-douglass#the-underground-railroad-frederick-douglass

6. A Time of literary transition • After the brutality of The Civil War, Americans no longer had a taste for romantic literature; realism, with its preference for fact-based literature, became new writing style in the post-war period.

7. A New kind of poetry… Walt Whitman (1819-1892) • A true innovator of American poetry • Grew up in West Hills, Long Island • Had the unique opportunity of experiencing both country and city life • Published Leaves of Grass, his first book of poems, in 1855

8. Themes / Techniques used in Whitman’s Poetry: • The American democratic spirit and promise • The power of the individual • A sense of unity with nature and all of humanity that transcends any force that would attempt to divide • Free verse: poetry without a regular rhyme scheme or meter • Catalogs: long lists of related things, people, or events http://www.biography.com/people/walt-whitman-9530126

9. A New kind of poetry… • Emily Dickinson (1830-1886): • Born to a religious, well-to-do New England family • Fell in love with Charles Wadsworth, a married pastor in Philadelphia • Wadsworth leaves and Dickinson is permanently affected by the loss of him • Lived as a recluse, wearing white all the time (like the bride she would never be) • Her primary contact with the outside world was through letter-writing.

10. Literary Career: • Published only a handful of poems in her lifetime • She wrote with no audience in mind, yet she did save bundles of poems for family members to read after her death. • In 1955, a collection of her work called The Poems of Emily Dickinson was made available. • The scholar who published these poems aimed to remain true to Dickinson’s baffling use of rhyme scheme, syntax, and word choice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5u-qcbvnwo