Realism American Literature. Realism reaction to Romantic ideals of the previous generation(s)....
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Transcript of Realism American Literature. Realism reaction to Romantic ideals of the previous generation(s)....
Realism
American Literature
Realism • reaction to Romantic ideals of the previous generation(s).
• defined as "the faithful representation of reality”.
• Realist authors not afraid to write about REAL subjects like war, death, prostitution, etc.
Realism • Although strictly speaking, realism is a technique, it also refers to a particular kind of subject matter, especially the representation of middle-class life.
• ”Realism" is difficult to define, in part because it is used differently in European contexts than in American literature.
Realism
• Time period: from Civil War to the turn of the century
• fiction devoted to accurate representation and exploration of American lives in various contexts.
Realist Elements
• Reality – realistic portrayal of life/events
• Stephen Crane actually lived on the streets as a homeless man to research for his book Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.
Realist Elements
• Complex ethical choices• In Maggie: A Girl of the
Streets, you see a smart, promising young woman, who is placed in a difficult spot when her family rejects her, and you journey with her as she fights to survive on the streets as a prostitute.
Realist Elements• Focus on the middle
class• Jack London’s “To Build
a Fire” is a short story about simple, middle class men during the gold rush, trying to survive in the elements.
Realist Elements
• Natural vernacular – writes like the local people speak
• Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, is an excellent example of the vernacular speech used by the soldiers in the story.
• And, of course, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is famously known for its purposeful use of the local, Southern dialect.
Realist Elements
• Written from an objective view point
• Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is so life like, that the reader forgets an objective narrator is telling the story from a third person, completely objective perspective.
• The Realists did not view it as their job to influence the readers’ opinions, but rather to simply provide the story/information.
Realist Elements
• Shows man in relation to nature
• Jack London is famous for his stories of man interacting with nature, such as “To Build a Fire.”
Realist Elements
• Portrays man as simply a person (nothing special or extraordinary)
• Each Realist author has a unique way of portraying real, raw characters in real situations that are still fictional.
• The characters are not celebrated for being perfect, but just recognized for being human and doing their best in a difficult situation.