Realism and Naturalism American Literature after the Civil War
Context leading to Realism and Naturalism The Civil War & Reconstruction Land rush toward Oklahoma Increase in Immigration – more than 15 million people from southern and eastern Europe Industrial Revolution Inventions of telephones, typewriters, cameras, automobiles, movies, airplanes
Industrial Revolution
Results of Industrial Revolution Mass production and assembly line model are developed Laborers are dealing with low wages, long hours, dangerous working conditions Begins to develop a working poor and middle class Creates a fear of losing small town traditions Authors began to preserve local traditions through writing.
The POINT The Civil War resulted in a victory of National Interest over Regional Interest. The unity of the United States of America became MORE important than the division between the North and the South.
Realism Naturalism Regionalism
Realism Describe everyday life and the people in it in great detail.
Characteristics of Realism Focus on grim reality of everyday life – EXTREME DETAIL. Well developed characters at the expense of action in the plot. Characters often face an ethical choice. Humans control their destinies Stories are Realistic Emphasis on Truth at the expense of Plot.
Regionalism Stylistic device that is added to Realism.
Characteristics of Regionalism Regional Writing – the story takes place in a certain area of the country – i.e. The South Use Dialect – written the way the accent sounds. Use Local Color – Stereotypes are used to clue reader in on where the story is taking place. Setting is integral to story. Narrator is typically educated and a mediator for urban audience and rural characters.
Naturalists Describe everyday life and the people in it in great detail AND the SCIENCE behind why people do what they do. Influenced by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.
Characteristics of Naturalism A character’s heredity and social environment controlled who he/she was and how he/she acted. Emphasis on the difficulty of mixing social classes. Attempted to determine through science why character acts the way he/she acted and did the things he/she did. Character’s fate is predetermined by environmental factors. Related to Determinism, the philosophy that given certain environmental conditions, only one result is possible. Determinism limits free will.
Twist at the end of the story. Nature is indifferent to human struggle. The "brute within"—which is the notion that everyone has "strong and often warring emotions: passions, such as lust, greed, or the desire for dominance or pleasure," leading to behavior considered taboo by society. Encountering the indifferent universe can cause this brute to rise up, often in violent ways. Students will likely see similarities to certain comic book heroes like The Incredible Hulk.
The Theory of Evolution “As many more individuals of each species are born than can possibly survive; and as, consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for existence, it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any manner profitable to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying conditions of life, will have a better chance of surviving, and thus be naturally selected. From the strong principle of inheritance, any selected Variety will tend to propagate its new and modified form.” – Darwin The Origin of Species
Realists VS. Naturalists Individuals are in control of their choices. Individual’s choice is limited by heredity and external environment. God is NOT within the person. Humans are like animals and behave on instinct—the “brute within” Humans control their destinies Humans actions are governed by Determinism and lack of free will Characters often face an ethical choice Often characters have no choice; their fate is predetermined or affected by the indifference of nature Decisions are determined by the person and his/her response to the situation. Decisions are predetermined by natural forces or instinct.
How are their beliefs about humans different from the Romantics?