1. NATURALISM AND REALISM By: Mrs. Geyer

2. VERISIMILITUDE The faithful representation of reality.

3. COPY THESE NOTES Realism 1. Stresses the real over the fantastic 2. Characters are more important than the plot.  Complex ethical choices are often the subject.  They are concerned with class status.  Diction is natural vernacular  Tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact 3. Themes include: 1.Events are plausible 2.Time marches on. The climax of the story is not “the crisis” 3.Humans are in control of their own destiny Naturalism 1. Settings are usually urban 2. Characters are ill educated and lower class 1.Lives are governed by forces of heredity, instinct, and passion 2.Their attempts at exercising free will are thwarted by forces beyond their control 3. Themes include: 1.Survival, determinism, violence, and taboo 2.The “brute” within each individual ; lust, greed, dominance, and amoralistic desires 3.Nature is indifferent to human beings 4.Heredity and environment are primary influences 5.Chronicle of despair

4. “AN OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE” 1.Characters 2.Setting 3.Point of View: 3 rd Objective, 3 rd Ominiscient 4.Themes: 1.Bondage 2.Human nature and self-preservation Discussion Questions Did you sympathize with Farquhar? Did the Union forces have a right to hang Farquhar without first trying him in a court of law? What does the bridge represent? How is this story a reflection of Realism/Naturalism?