Mark Twain, Realism, and Satire

Realism Realism refers to the accurate—or realistic—portrayal of life in literature and the arts. With regards to literature, the term can describe works that deal with the daily struggles and disappointments of ordinary people.

Realism (continued) The so-called realist movement was a product of the new realities that took hold in Europe (and America) in the 19 th century, such as the ups and downs of democratic reform, the social and economic changes caused by the Industrial Revolution, and new methods of observation opened up by science and photography.

Twain as Realist Like many people in the latter half of the 19 th century, Twain was skeptical of many of the ideas and artistic products of the Romantic Movement.

Regionalism Emphasis on regional location and characteristics in art or literature. Realist and regionalist techniques often go hand- in-hand Mark Twain’s writing is sometimes categorized as “local color realism.” This type of writing finds ways of making universal statements about the human condition while focusing on the local an the particular.

Mark Twain (1835 – 1910) Twain was a humorist (comedian) who loved to poke fun at people’s beliefs and behaviors, including his own. Some of his favorite devices for doing this are: IRONY PARODY PARADOX and OXYMORON SATIRE

satire (n.): literary technique in which imperfections are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society. There are two main types: Horatian satire: playfully amusing; seeks to correct vice with gentle laughter and understanding. Juvenalian satire: provides a darker kind of laughter; its tone is often bitter and it criticizes incompetence and corruption with scorn and outrage.

Simpsons video A2-c

Techniques used in SATIRE Verbal irony/sarcasm: saying something that isn’t true (e.g., “Obama is going to collect taxes from his cabinet to help solve the economic crisis”). Exaggeration: people or characters say things that are “over-the-top” to emphasize human defects (e.g., “We are all Mapple people.”— Mapple salesperson, The Simpsons).

Understatement: something is said that just barely hints at comprehension of what is actually obvious to all. Ambiguity: a situation, problem, dilemma is presented in a way to emphasize the fact that there is no clear solution to the dilemma, and to make fun of those who think they have the solution.

Distortion: the facts of a situation are distorted in a humorous way. Burlesque: A form of comic art characterized by ridiculous exaggeration. A travesty (distortion) of a literary form. (Distortion techniques: sublime may be made absurd, honest emotions turned to sentimentality, frivolous subject treated seriously and vice versa.)

Parody: A composition burlesquing or imitating another usually serious, piece of work. It is designed to ridicule in nonsensical fashion, or to criticize by brilliant treatment an original piece of work or its author.

HOMEWORK Write a Dialectical Journal entry for any passage in Chapter 1-12 of Roughing It. See instructions on class website Your claim should focus on one of the Literary/Rhetorical Terms (L&R Terms) we have covered today. You may type or write neatly in blue or black ink Due tomorrow. 10 points.