REALISM REGIONALISM NATURALISM REVIEW REALISM What event sparked

REALISM, REGIONALISM, NATURALISM REVIEW

REALISM What event sparked Realism? WHY? ? Realism was a reaction to Romanticism, why? What did the Romantics do in their writing that the realists would not do? When did Realism dominate America’s literature? What did realism seek to portray? Possible subjects of realism? Realist Authors: § William Dean Howells § Henry James § Edgar Lee Masters

REGIONALISM Regionalism coincided with realism Also called “local color” What is Regionalism? REGIONALISM Focuses on characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features specific to a certain region. § Focuses on the role of the setting on the individual. Who is the most well known Regionalist writer? Other Regionalist Authors: § Kate Chopin—South § Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman—New England § Mark Twain—West & South § Willa Cather—Midwest

NATURALISM Naturalism, another sub-genre of Realism, What is Naturalism? § They believed that man’s character is based on genetics and their environment and thus sometimes man can be irrational. § Often depicts man in conflict with nature, society, or himself and usually shows man with a pessimistic determination. § Realism presents the character exactly as they are § Naturalism depicts the environment and heredity that makes the character and who they are. Naturalist Authors: § Stephen Crane § Ambrose Bierce § Jack London § Edwin Arlington Robinson § Katherine Anne Porter § Charlotte Perkins Gilman § Edith Wharton

POINTS TO REMEMBER Realism, Regionalism, and Naturalism are intertwined and connected. Realism Realistic characters & settings, showed how America really was Regionalism Focused on a specific region and showed how that region/setting had an influence on the way characters talked, acted, dressed etc. Naturalism showed the environment or heredity or the character controlling them, explored the ideas of nature vs. nurture