The Rise of Realism The Civil War to 1914

The Civil War South depended on North for financial, manufacturing, commercial services. Multiple Causes South produced cash crops for the North. War resulted from decades of sectional conflict. South relied on nearly 4 million slaves as its labor force. North valued power of federal government; South believed in states’ rights.

The Civil War Toll of frontal and cavalry assaults led to use of trench warfare. New Forms of Warfare Cavalry riders faced certain death attacking infantry. Infantry carried new, more accurate rifles. More than 600,000 soldiers died.

The Civil War Even though slaves had been freed, fight for equality was just beginning. End of Slavery Thirteenth Amendment freed all slaves in the U.S. Emancipation Proclamation declared that slaves in Confederate states were free.

The Civil War The horror of war required a new literary form— realism. Literature None of the prominent writers of the time served in the war.prominent writers The primary forms of war literature were journals and letters.

The Civil War Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was raising his children after his wife’s death. Prominent Writers Oliver Wendell Holmes was working as a professor at Harvard. Ralph Waldo Emerson was in Concord, Massachusetts, knitting for soldiers and “writing patriotic lectures.” William Cullen Bryant was working as editor of the New York Evening Post.

The Rise of Realism Realists’ New View of the World Rejected larger-than-life hero of Romantic literature Depicted ordinary characters and realistic events Emphasized characters from cities and lower classes Avoidance of the exotic, sensational, and overly dramatic Use of everyday speech patterns to reveal class distinction. Sought to explain WHY people behave as they do

The Rise of Realism Prominent authors: Sarah Orne Jewett, Kate Chopin, Bret Harte, Mark Twain Regionalism Often sentimental in depictions of characters and locations Emphasized a specific geographic setting Kate Chopin Mark Twain

The Rise of Realism Viewed life as a losing battle against the universe Naturalism Believed human behavior determined by heredity and environment Attempted to analyze human behavior objectively, as a scientist would Sense that human beings cannot control their own destinies Prominent authors: William Dean Howells, Frank Norris Frank Norris William Dean Howells

The Rise of Realism Prominent authors: Henry James, Stephen Crane Psychological Realism Studied complex social and psychological situations Focused on character motivation and characters at moments of stress Stephen Crane Henry James

Harriet A. Jacobs (1813?-1897) Jacobs was born into slavery in Edenton, NC She learned how to read and write while serving the house mistress As a teenager, Jacobs was harassed by her second owner, Dr. Norcom –Furious at her refusals, Norcom sent Jacobs to do hard labor at a plantation Jacobs escaped from the plantation and hid in a tiny crawl space above a storeroom for 7 years Jacobs escapes to New York City where she finds work and reunites with her children Jacobs gains her freedom Jacobs began writing the story of her life using the pen name Linda Brent. The product was Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Harriet Jacobs