Textbook pg. 316 Do Now: Examine Timeline: Identify 2 events from each section that you are already familiar with. Write them down on a new piece of lined paper. Title it “AMERICAN REGIONALISM, REALISM, & NATURALISM”

American Regionalism, Realism, & Naturalism No More Romantic Sunshine & Rainbows…

W HAT IS R EALISM ? A faithful representation of reality in literature, also known as “verisimilitude.” Emphasis on development of believable characters. Written in natural vernacular, or dialect. Prominent from

R EALIST W RITERS Mark Twain William Dean Howells Henry James Edgar Lee Masters

W HY DID R EALISM DEVELOP ? The Civil War The urbanization and industrialization of America As a reaction to Romanticism Increasing rates of democracy and literacy The emerging middle class

W HY DID R EALISM DEVELOP ? Upheaval and social change in the latter half of the 19 th century Romantics transcend the immediate to find the ideal; Realists focus on the immediate, the here & now and its consequences Present life as it is, not as it might be

W HAT IS R EGIONALISM ? Often called “local color.” Focuses on characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features specific to a certain region (eg. the South) Coincided with Realism and sharing many of the same traits. Prominent from

R EGIONALIST W RITERS Kate Chopin— South Mary E. Wilkins- Freeman—New England Mark Twain— West Willa Cather— Midwest

W HY DID R EGIONALISM DEVELOP ? Dual influence of Romanticism and Realism The Civil War and the building of a national identity An outgrowth of realism with more focus on a particular setting and its influence over characters

W HAT IS N ATURALISM ? Applied scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to the study of human beings. Influenced by Darwinism (natural selection) and psychology (Freud) Posited that men were governed by heredity and environment. Often depict man in conflict with nature, society, or himself. Prominent from (ish)

N ATURALIST W RITERS Stephen Crane Ambrose Bierce Jack London Edwin Arlington Robinson Katherine Anne Porter Charlotte Perkins Gilman Edith Wharton

W HY DID N ATURALISM DEVELOP ? The swell of immigrants in the latter half of the 19 th century, which led to a larger lower class and increased poverty in the cities The prominence of psychology and the theories of Sigmund Freud Pessimism in the wake of the Civil War and Reconstruction Publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species

P OINTS TO R EMEMBER … Realism, Regionalism, and Naturalism are intertwined and connected. Their influence has dominated most literature created since 1920, though the movement itself is dated to roughly that point. They are truly American modes of writing.