American Realism and Naturalism 1865-1910

Transformation Between the years 1850 and 1914, America witnessed a major transformation. This affected the literature of the time period. The United States started to become less of an agricultural nation, and more industrialized. These changes began in the period right before the civil war and ended in the period after.

Realism Realism- striving to uphold actuality in literature. American Realism began as a reaction to and a rejection of Romanticism, with its emphasis on emotion, imagination, and the individual. Realist writers showed things how they really were. They didn’t sugar coat things. Writers stopped writing about how life could be and started examining how life really was. Usually written in natural vernacular or dialect.

Naturalism Naturalism- Environment/Nature is in control Took place in/was a part of the Realism Literary era Believed that a person’s heredity and social environment determined one’s character and outcome Humans are unable to impose their own will on their destinies.

Perceived the Individual as… Genre American Author Perceived the Individual as… Romantics Ralph Waldo Emerson A God Realists Mark Twain Simply a Person Naturalists Stephen Crane A Helpless Object

Regionalism literature that focuses on specific features of a particular region, including characters, dialects, customs, history, land. Often called “Local Color”

Why did Realism Develop? Reaction to Romanticism The United States Split into Union and Confederacy Upheaval from the Civil War Disappearing Frontier American Society Changing

The Union is Dissolved Lincoln was elected president during this time period. He wanted to end the spread of slavery, which upset the south. Their primary focus was agricultural, and they claimed to need the slaves to help their economy. South Carolina pledged to secede from the Union if Lincoln was elected. They kept their promise. Other states began following their lead.

Upheaval from Civil War People expected the war to be a short and easy victory, but it lasted for 4 long years After it ended, 620,000 had been killed and 500,000 had been wounded The south was in ruins Lincoln was assassinated very shortly after the war He was unable to aid the country in reconstruction

Disappearing Frontier By 1890, the frontier that Americans had once known no longer existed. The increase in settlers, railroads, ranches, and mining had all caused the transformation of the west. There was no longer herd of buffalo, open ranches, or Indian nations. Instead, there were enormous plowed fields, wired fences, and many more people.

American Society Changing Electricity had been invented, causing the 2nd Industrial Revolution Electric lights, telephones, automobiles, motion pictures, and phonographs began to take over. Sky Scrapers, Department Stores, and Mass Transportation became a part of the city life. this created noise, traffic jams, pollution, crime, and slums

American Society Changing continued Many immigrants began to come to US and settle in the large cities This caused even more industrial and urban growth In the same period, many Americans left their farms for the city for work New extremes of wealth and poverty established Child labor becomes very popular in working class Immigrant families often lived in small, dark, unventilated apartments with no toilets- caused diseases

Tenements These apartments were called tenements In the US, tenements housed many of the new immigrants They were cramped, crowded, and poorly constructed Often, multiple families lived in the same apartment together, to save rent, leaving minimal space, and the buildings were poorly ventilated. Landlords charged outrageous prices for rent These conditions caused a large amount of alcoholism and violence

The Bowery The Bowery was one of the most famous tenements in New York City It is the setting for the novella, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

Ambrose Bierce Served in the Civil War- writing career shaped by his career as a union officer Brutality of war only enhanced his cynicism Grew up in poverty- shaped his pessimistic view of the world

Mark Twain Also known as Samuel Langhorne Clemmons He used exaggeration and embellishment to make his stories humorous Was a regionalist writer

Bret Harte Created vivid and lasting memories of the “old west” Used picturesque characters and colorful dialogue Included post-Civil War America in his works Used humor and violence The Hollywood western can be traced to his tales

Stephen Crane A writer and a journalist. He threw himself into the lives of the stories he was trying to portray in order to get a more accurate and realistic depiction Went “under cover” Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is considered the first work of American Naturalism (A grimly realistic portrayal of life in the city’s slums) He published the book at his own expense. He married a madam of a brothel Very famous for his realistic and naturalistic works Died at the age of 28 of TB