Date post: | 30-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | cornelius-horn |
View: | 217 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Realism / Naturalism
1860-1900
What does it mean??
A man said to the universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation."
--Stephen Crane
It’s Defined as… Realism
representation of life as it REALLY was According to William Dean Howells, "Realism is nothing
more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material“
Naturalism An extension of Realism Recognition of the environment/land Determinism
a person's fate as the product of blind external or biological forces: relationship to their surroundings
Affect of the environment on the people
The Environment The years following the Civil War (1861-
1865) A time of “healing and rebuilding”
Immigrants from all over the world Crowded urban cities due to opportunities
Growth of investigative journalism Rise of the muckrakers
Journalists/novelists: exposed corruption in big business and government
Economic, Social, and Political changes!!
Politics and Economics Civil War
North vs. South: Slavery
Industrial Revolution Standardization Mass production of goods Streamlined channels of distribution
Gettysburg Address (1863)
President Andrew Johnson Impeachment (1868) he refused to cooperate or compromise over black rights and
the reconstruction of Southern state governments. Senate failed by one vote—9 months left to term
What about lifestyle? People left rural homes for opportunities in
urban cities Overpopulation Pollution Disease Poverty
Modernization Lots of changes
people feared local folkways/traditions would be forgotten
Newfound fascination with the camera Capturing realities
Jacob Riis “How the Other Half Lives”
“The Other Half”
“The Other Half” (cont.)
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/R/riis/riis_waiting_for_lodging_full.html
Lifestyle (cont.) Social class
became very important One’s fashion identified
his/her class Surge of women’s
magazines 50 new titles between
1870-1900 alone
Increased advertising and consumerism
Jobs/Employment No longer solely agriculture and farming
Factory Production New machinery and equipment Factory workers Steel mill workers
Transcontinental Railroad Railroad workers
Finally, the literature! Literary Civil War
Between Realists/Naturalists and Romantics
Avoids sensationalism, dramatic elements & symbolism of Romanticism
Character representations in relation to external world
How much control man has over his own destiny
Genre American Authors
Individual Perceived
as…
Romantics Ralph Waldo Emerson
God
Realists Henry James
Mark Twain
W. D. Howells
Simply a person
Naturalists Stephen Crane
Frank Norris
A helpless object
Literature (cont.) Concentrated on select groups/subjects
Factory workers Black life Women and marriage roles
Very regional Authors set stories in specific American Regions Preserve “local color” Incorporated dialects and extensive dialogue
Connected with the public
Literature (cont.) Drew upon grim realities of everyday life
Breakdown of traditional values Plight of the new urban poor
Character is more important than action/plot Class is important!!
Kate Chopin
Mark Twain Stephen
CraneFrank Norris
Questions???