Realism American Literature Realism reaction to Romantic ideals
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Realism American Literature
Realism • reaction to Romantic ideals of the previous generation(s). • defined as "the faithful representation of reality”. • Realist authors not afraid to write about REAL subjects like war, death, prostitution, etc.
Realism • Although strictly speaking, realism is a technique, it also refers to a particular kind of subject matter, especially the representation of middle-class life. • ”Realism" is difficult to define, in part because it is used differently in European contexts than in American literature.
Realism • Time period: from Civil War to the turn of the century • fiction devoted to accurate representation and exploration of American lives in various contexts.
Realist Elements • Reality – realistic portrayal of life/events • Stephen Crane actually lived on the streets as a homeless man to research for his book Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.
Realist Elements • Complex ethical choices • In Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, you see a smart, promising young woman, who is placed in a difficult spot when her family rejects her, and you journey with her as she fights to survive on the streets as a prostitute.
Realist Elements • Focus on the middle class • Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” is a short story about simple, middle class men during the gold rush, trying to survive in the elements.
Realist Elements • Natural vernacular – writes like the local people speak • Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, is an excellent example of the vernacular speech used by the soldiers in the story. • And, of course, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is famously known for its purposeful use of the local, Southern dialect.
Realist Elements • Written from an objective view point • Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is so life like, that the reader forgets an objective narrator is telling the story from a third person, completely objective perspective. • The Realists did not view it as their job to influence the readers’ opinions, but rather to simply provide the story/information.
Realist Elements • Shows man in relation to nature • Jack London is famous for his stories of man interacting with nature, such as “To Build a Fire. ”
Realist Elements • Portrays man as simply a person (nothing special or extraordinary) • Each Realist author has a unique way of portraying real, raw characters in real situations that are still fictional. • The characters are not celebrated for being perfect, but just recognized for being human and doing their best in a difficult situation.
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