American Literature The Rise of Realism The Civil War & Postwar Period ( )

A new kind of poetry: Whitman & Dickinson

Walt Whitman ( )

Walt Whitman A. Leaves of Grass (1855 and 1891) B. Journalist C. First American poet to use free verse (no set meter or rhyme scheme) D. Worked in Washington hospitals during the Civil War

Walt Whitman (cont.) E. “Song of Myself” (know lines from this) F. Whitman has a balance between the Romantics and the Realists, between nature/common man/idealism and the objective portrayal of reality

Walt Whitman (cont.) G. Promotes DEMOCRACY in his poetry; has both self and human interests H. Egoism – doctrine that individual self-interest is actual motive of all conscious action (evident in his poetry)

Emily Dickinson ( )

Emily Dickinson A. One of America’s greatest poets B. Wrote with Free Verse—like Whitman C. Fell in love with married man; heart broken D. Lived in seclusion after 24 E. Comparisons: particular to the universal (grain of sand-desert)

Emily Dickinson F. Poems published after her death: The Poems of Emily Dickinson (1955)

Stephen Crane ( )

Stephen Crane A. The Red Badge of Courage (1895)– novel B. Journalist; wanted to be baseball player; correspondent in 1898 war in Cuba C. War is Kind – poem collection w/ ironic title D. Free verse, very pessimistic, naturalist E. The Black Riders and Other Lines - poems F. “An Episode of War” (short story in book)

Stephen Crane G. Impressionism – artistic/literary technique in which the author’s personal impression of what he (narrator and author) sees is given H. Naturalist Writer

Jack London ( )

Jack London A. Best known for adventure stories B – went to the Klondike (part of Yukon Territory in NW Canada) to prospect for gold 1. Learned that the strong survive but the weak do not 2. Civilized beings are either destroyed or re-created in savage environments

Jack London C. “To Build a Fire” (1908) – most famous short story D. The Call of the Wild (1903) – most famous novel E. Died at age 40 (narcotics abuse) F. Naturalist writer, like Crane G. Socialist

Samuel L. Clemens ( ) aka, Mark Twain

Mark Twain A. Life on the Mississippi (1883) - autobiography B. Roughing It (1872) C. Tom Sawyer (1876) D. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)

Mark Twain E. ‘Mark Twain’ = safe water; literally, 6 ft. deep F. Journalist G. Fought in Civil War H. Vernacular – common speech I. Satirist J. Critical of Romantic writers’ use of “suspension of disbelief” (Cooper)

Frederick Douglass (1818?-1895)

Frederick Douglass A. Born a slave 1. No formal education 2. Escaped to Mass. At 21 B. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845) 1. Slavery of the mind was slavery’s greatest evil

Frederick Douglass 2. Alternate title of autobiography: My Bondage and My Freedom (1855) C. Founded newspaper, North Star (1847) 1. He escaped using this star as his guide D. Worked for the Underground Railroad during Civil War

Bret Harte ( )

Bret Harte A. “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” 1. 3 rd person omniscient narration in this story and many of his others 2. Local Color – the characteristic appearance, speech, mannerisms, and dress of a particular place or period B. “The Luck of Roaring Camp” C. Journalist D. Editor of the Overland Monthly

Bret Harte Harte's stories focus mainly on three themes:  regeneration (spiritual or moral revival)  partners  the pure contrasted with the impure

Ambrose Bierce ( ?)

Ambrose Bierce A. Disappeared into Mexico (1914) B. Very cynical (sees only the dark side); aka, “Bitter Bierce” C. Enlisted in Union Army during Civil War D. Journalist, like Hart and Twain

Ambrose Bierce E. Wrote many short stories on Civil War—surprising twists at the end F. The Devil’s Dictionary (1906) –most popular book; made up his own definitions for words G. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

Abraham Lincoln ( )

Abraham Lincoln A. “The Gettysburg Address” B. Born in Kentucky C. “House Divided” speech (1858) D. President of the U.S., Republican, E. The Missouri Compromise revived interest in politics