1. Realism/Naturalism

2. Reaction Against Romanticism

3. I. Historical context
A. Civil War brings demand for a “truer” type of literature that doesn’t idealize people or places.
B. People in society defined by “class.” Materialism persists.
C. Reflect ideas of Charles Darwin (survival of the fittest) and Karl Marx (how money and class structure control a nation)

7. Native Americans
Relatively rapid settlement of the West doomed the Native American way of life.
Whites thought they were bringing civilization to the wilderness.
Didn’t see Indians as having a legitimate claim to land.
Forced—either by treaties or armed conflict—on to reservations of land that white men deemed unacceptable to live on.

9. II. Genre/style A. Realism
Gustave Courbet – “The Stone Breakers”
A. Realism
1. a reaction against Romanticism; told it like it was
2. focus on lives of ordinary people; rejected heroic and adventurous
3. anti-materialism; rejected the new “class” system
4. view of nature as a powerful and indifferent force beyond man’s control.

10. B. Naturalism (sub-genre of Realism)
1. like Realism but a darker view of the world
2. the universe is unpredictable; fate is determined by chance; free will is an illusion
3. characters’ lives shaped by forces they can’t understand or control

11. C. Novels, short stories, poems
D. Often aims to change a specific social problem
E. Dominant themes: survival, fate, violence, nature as an indifferent force

12. III. Major writers A. The Civil War
1. Harriet Beecher Stowe ( )
a. the most famous woman of her day
b. wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin
(1) most influential book of the 19th Century; first to sell one million copies
(2) one of the most effective documents of propaganda; helped fuel the Civil War

13. Frederick Douglass (1817 -1895)
a. an escaped slave; one of the most effective orators of his day
b. influential newspaper writer; militant abolitionist; diplomat
c. autobiography an instant and enduring classic of courage

14. B. The Frontier
1. Mark Twain ( )
One of the most important writers in American literature
His use of vernacular and colloquial language changed the face of American literature forever.
Best known for his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

15. 2. Stephen Crane (1871-1900) (Naturalist)
a. Crane attacked patriotism, individualism, organized religion; confronted the meaninglessness of the world
b. Crane’s writing known for its images and symbolism
c. Red Badge of Courage (most famous work; set in Civil War)

16. 3. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) a. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
concerned about the ironic futility of war.
b. known for his cynical humor and cruel wit
c. disappeared at 71 in Mexico while reporting on the Mexican Revolution

17. 4. Jack London
a. pushed Naturalism to its limits
b. Call of the Wild (tame dog forced to revert to his original primitive state)

18. American Realism Literary Terms
Unit Four – Fall Semester

19. Autobiography

20. Autobiography - narrative in which an individual tells his or her life story.

21. Historical Context

22. Historical Context
The social conditions that inspired or influenced its creation. To understand and appreciate some works, the reader must relate them to particular events in history.

23. Narrator

24. Narrator - The person who tells a story.

25. Dialect

26. Dialect – language spoken in a particular geographic area

27. Slant Rhyme

28. Slant Rhyme not exact rhymes

29. Structure

30. Structure – the arrangement of the parts of a literary work

31. Tall Tale

32. Tall Tale – American story characterized by exaggeration

33. Tall Tale Larger-than-life character(s)
A problem that is solved in a humorous or outrageous way.
Exaggerated details
Characters who use everyday language.
Many tall tales are based on actual people.

34. Local Color

35. Local Color - Imitates ordinary life of a particular region

36. Quatrain

37. Quatrain – four line stanza

38. MLA

39. MLA Modern Language Association

40. Works Cited an alphabetical list of sources used in research

41. Critical Article

42. Critical Article
An acceptable critical article appears in an academic or scholarly journal. Articles in popular or trade magazines like Time or Rolling Stone do not qualify as scholarship.

43. Periodical

44. Periodical A magazine, journal, newsletter, or newspaper produced on a regular basis

45. Secondary Source

46. Secondary Source -offers an analysis or a restatement of primary sources

47. Summary

48. Summary – Writing a summary involves putting the main idea(s) of another work into your own words, including only the main point(s).