2. Historical Context  Early 1850s Women’s Rights Movement led by Anthony & Stanton  1859 Origin of Species published  1861-65 American Civil War  1865 President Lincoln assassinated  1865 Thirteenth Amendment is passed, outlawing slavery  1867 The U.S. purchases Alaska from Russia  1876 Alexander Graham Bell patents the first telephone  1878 Thomas Edison patents the first phonograph  1886 Statue of Liberty is dedicated  1891 James Naismith invents BASKETBALL!!!  1896 Athens, Greece hosts the first modern Olympic games  1898 The U.S. annexes Hawaii and wins the Spanish-American War  1900 Freud advances the field of psychiatry by publishing The Interpretation of Dreams

3. Worldview  Darwinism challenged traditional ways of viewing the world and human nature.  Are humans created by God? Are we objects of fate / chance?  The Civil War caused Americans to turn from romantic ideals to harsh realities.  Scientific methods and rational philosophy became valued over imagination and idealism.

4. Common Elements of the Literature  Realism refers to a style of writing that attempts to depict life accurately, without idealizing or romanticizing.  “Life through a clear glass window”  Characters are more important than action and plot.  Authors interested in psychological and sociological analysis.  Social class is important.  Diction is often the vernacular instead of heightened, poetic speech.  Tone is often comic, satiric, or matter-of- fact.

5. Common Elements of the Literature  Realism had its roots in regionalism—also called local color—which is literature that emphasizes a specific geographic setting and reproduces the speech, behavior, and attitudes of people who live in that region.  One branch of realism was naturalism, which reflected a belief that human behavior is determined by heredity and the environment.

6. Worldview 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

7. Famous Authors  Realism: Mark Twain, Henry James, Edith Wharton, Ambrose Bierce  Regionalism: Bret Harte, Kate Chopin, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor  Naturalism: Theodore Dreiser, Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Jack London