Realism Mimi Yousef Period 6 Characteristics of Realism

Realism Mimi Yousef Period 6

Characteristics of Realism • Verisimilitude • Importance of character over plot and action • Detailed, specific depictions plausible • Plausible circumstances rather than idealized settings • Simplistic diction • Emphasis on complex ethical choices • Uniformity and diversity

French Realism • Realism emerged in France. A movement in art as much as in literature, realism strove for detailed, realistic, and factual description. Realists tried to represent events and social conditions as they actually are, without idealization which was in stark contrast to the preceding Romanticism and Transcendentalism. • Realism emerged in the aftermath of the Revolution of 1848 and developed during the period of the Second Empire under Napoleon III. As French society fought for democratic reform, Realists democratized art by depicting modern subjects drawn from the everyday lives of the working class, basing their works on direct observation of the modern world rather than beautified depictions of life. • Realists often used gritty detail to convey the present-day existence of humble people, employing realism as a method of social reform for the working

French Realists • Alexander Dumas • The Count of Monte Cristo • "Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget that until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words, --"Wait and hope. "-Ch. 117, The Count of Monte Cristo

French Realists • Honoré de Balzac • Considered to be one of the founders of the literary Realism movement due to his journalistic background and his distinct work, La Comédie Humaine • Wrote a series of novellas depicting the lives of those in politics, those in the country, those in the military and more.

Realism in American Literature The Puritan Era 1600 - 1750 Age of Reason 1750 -1800 Realism Romanticism Transcendentalism 1800 -1840 -1855 1865 -1915 Contemporary and Post-Modern Period Modernism 1916 -1946 – Present

Historical Context of American Realism • • • After the Civil War, Americans were less certain and optimistic about the future, resulting in large disregard of the idealism of Romantics and the philosophy of Transcendentalists as these ideas seemed out of date and irrelevant to readers. Science, industry, and transportation were expanding during the emergence of Realism in American literature. This had significant impact on the development or Realism, as the growth in technology influenced society to favor and prioritize facts over ideals and theories. Not only this, readers were interested Due to this, although literature was also expanding through the emergence of new writers, new writers were not Romantics or Transcendentalists, they were Realists. William Dean Howells, Mark Twain, Henry James, Rebecca Harding Davis, and other writers of the time wrote to depict life as it was, devoted to accurate, rather than idealistic, representations of American lives.

American Realists • • Mark Twain • Much of his writing stemmed from his travel and childhood experiences. • Was well known for his sense of humor and his satirical writing style. • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Traveled throughout the United States during his adult life, including to California and Europe.

American Realists • • • Stephen Crane The Red Badge of Courage First unromanticized account the Civil War

Realism in American Literature • The purpose of the writing is “to instruct and entertain” • Subject matter is drawn from real life experience. • The realists reject symbolism and romanticizing of subjects. • Settings are usually those familiar to the author. • Plots emphasized “the norm of daily experience” • Ordinary characters

Other Realists • Walt Whitman • Leaves of Grass • • O Pioneers! • The Call of the Wild • Story of an Hour • Willa Cather My Antonia • Jack London • Kate Chopin!