American Realism

Life in America n Still growing and prosperous at end of 1800s. n Most powerful nation in western hemisphere and about to be the most powerful nation in the world. n Growing working population of industrial workers and farmers.

American Attitudes n Frontier was gone, but still a powerful force. n Dreams of people did not match the realities of their lives. n People uncertain of their place in society. They were fearful they were caught up in large, impersonal forces beyond their control.

Definition of Realism n A literary and intellectual movement that led poets and novelists not to imagine life as it could be, but to examine life as it was actually lived and to record what they saw around them as honestly as they could. n The realistic writer is concerned with recording the details of ordinary life, and with showing the reader not generally, but precisely, how ordinary life is lived.

Realism - A Slice of Life n A truthful imitation of ordinary life. A reaction against sentimentality of most romantic fiction.

Influences on American Realism n Journalistic accounts of the Civil War established a taste for realistic writing. n New subject matter - factory and farm life, slums, corruption, politics, hardships, poverty n Great interest in science and scientific method. n Darwin’s “Law of the Jungle”

Elements of Realism n Realists were concerned with the whole of life, not just surface of it n Produced intensely personal works as well as broad studies of a changing society n Used local color. Portrayed through dialects, dress, mannerisms, custom, character types, and landscape.

The realists were not certain humans could improve their lives, only that humans could continue to try.