AMERICAN LITERATURE

REALISM , REGIONALISM, NATURALISM

Review of ROMANTICISM Characteristics of

Romanticism: values feeling and intuition

over reason places faith in inner

experience and the power of the imagination

despises the artificiality of civilization and seeks unspoiled nature

prefers youthful innocence to educated sophistication

champions individual freedom and the worth of the individual

contemplates nature and nature's beauty as a path to spiritual and moral development

looks backward to the wisdom of the past and distrusts progress

finds beauty and truth in exotic locales, the supernatural realm, and the inner world of the imagination

finds inspiration in myth, legend, and folk culture

delves into the psychological aspects of good and evil and the workings of the inner mind

CHANGES IN CULTURE AFTER 1860The CIVIL WAR Began at Fort

Sumter in 1861 and ended at the Appomattox Courthouse in 1865,

Over 600,000 people died from battle, disease, or poor medical care

CONNECT: in a school of 1000 students, about 120-150 would have been wounded or died during the 4-year period

Everyone was affected

During and after the War, many writers were disillusioned with Romantic ideals

Other causes of a shift from Romanticism to Realism

GROWING MIDDLE CLASS (more literate public to read)

URBAN INDUSTRIALIZATION UPHEAVAL IN SOCIAL STRUCTURE and changing class values

A DESIRE to understand and give a voice to the suffering in the real world – to document the reality of their culture, history, society

A MORE COMPLEX WORLD called for more realistic literature and art

A REJECTION OF IDEALISM and ESCAPISM – no clearly defined lines of good and evil

-- less interest in escaping into supernatural and imaginative stories

REFLECTED THE CHANGING CULTURE OF AMERICA

Other factors contributing to the growth of REALISM, Regionalism, NaturalismTHE SWELL OF

IMMIGRANTS in the latter half of the 19th century, which led to a larger lower class and INCREASED POVERTY IN THE CITIES

PESSIMISM in the wake of Reconstruction and

CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES

The prominence of PSYCHOLOGY and the theories of Sigmund Freud

Publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species

A growing literacy and interest in fiction and journalism

An attempt to be a true and faithful representation of reality

VERISIMILITUDE It comes from Latin verum meaning truth

and similis meaning similarAn attempt to present a semblance of truth, to

be true or real

DEFINITION OF REALISM

Subject matter—ordinary people and events;

Purpose—Verisimilitude, the truthful representation of life;

Point of View—omniscient and objectiveCharacters—middle class (class is

important)Plot de-emphasized

Focus on everyday lifeComplex ethical choices often the subjectEvents are made to seem the inevitable result of

characters’ choices

Characteristics of REALISM

Use of the vernacular – or real language . The language usually reflects social class, educational background, culture

Events will usually be plausible, believableOften an emphasis on the psychological

turmoil or nature of the characterSetting is important – characters are

connected to place and time, other characters

Realism, cont’d

Humans control their destiniescharacters act on their environment rather than simply reacting to it.

Slice-of-life techniqueoften ends without traditional formal closure, leaving much untold to suggest man’s limited ability to make sense of his life.

Themes in Realism

Prominent from 1865-1895.

Coincided with Realism and sharing many of the same traits.

Focuses on physical setting / landscape , putting fictional characters into a real settings

REGIONALISM or LOCAL COLOR

Very specific details about the environment and how the characters interact with that setting (Twain’s Huck Finn)

the more specific they become with details of settings, the stronger and more believable the characters become – this allows the writer to tie in universal themes and values held by the character that were caused by the setting they are in to a certain region (eg. the South, the West)

Regionalism and Local Color

Characters are often STOCK or STEREOTYPES

Use of dialect, or language specific to a particular region or setting

Uses details that describe local food, living conditions, dress, architecture, transportation, etc.

Regionalism and Local Color, cont’d

Narrator-- an educated observer from the world beyond who’s often deceived

Plot—nothing much happens, revolves around the community and its rituals

Regionalism and Local Color cont’d

Dislike of change, nostalgia for an always-past Golden Age;

Triumphant trickster or trickster tricked;

Tall tale-tradition, conflicts described humorously, larger than life

Themes in Local Color Stories

Definition: A literature that depicts social problems and views humans as victims of larger biological, psychological and social and economic forces.

NATURE or ENVIRONMENT determines fate of a characterScientific determinismPsychological determinismHistorical determinism

NATURALISM – A HARSHER REALISM

Man has no direct control over who or what he is. His fate is determined by outside forces that can be discovered through scientific inquiry;

Humans respond to environmental forces and internal stresses and drives, none of which can be fully controlled or understoodPeople are driven by fundamental urges

like fear, hunger, sexThe world is a “competitive jungle,”

Scientific, Biological or Darwinian Determinism

Man is a victim of his inner and subconscious self (Freud).

PSYCHOLOGICAL DETERMINISM

Man is fundamentally an animal, without free will;

Governed by determinismExternal and internal forces,

environment or heredity control behavior;

Characters have compensating humanistic values which affirm life;Struggle for life becomes heroic and

affirms human dignityPessimistic view of human capabilities—life is a trap

Themes in Naturalism

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.

Remember