English Unit 3: Realism
What sets the colonists apart?
Their exclusive interest in representing a specific location, and their thoroughly factual, realistic technique
What did Americans do with all the money?
Art, education, entertainment, culture, rise of mass circulation of magazines/newspapers
How did this influence the literary culture?
Profuse literary production and consumption gas lighting/electrical lighting (1870's) gives more time for reading
What are the traits of realism ?
Purpose of writing is to "instruct and entertain" the character had more importance than the plot
What are major changes occurring in America during this time ?
Rapid advances -Atlantic telegraph cable 1866 -transcontinental railroad 1869 -early telephone 1876 -early automobiles 1890's
What are some aspects of realism?
Realism replaced transcendentalism/romanticism It attempted to show characters and events in an objective almost factual way
What is William dean howells' definition of realism?
Realism was a literary movement that sought to portray ordinary life as people live it
Who are major colorists/regional writers?
Sarah Orne jewett, Bret Harte, mark twain, harriet Beecher Stowe, Kate choppin
What are four more traits of realism?
Settings are usually familiar to the author plots emphasize "the norm of daily experience"
What are the genres of realism?
Slave experiences, war experience, frontier experience, fiction, non-fiction
How do you define "realistic fiction"?
Something that could be real
What did mark twain call the late nineteenth century and why?
"Guilted age" by this, he meant that the period was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath
What are important dates about the civil war?
1860-Lincoln elected president 1861-1865- civil war 1863: emancipation proclamation Reconstruction
What are the date ranges for American realism ?
1865-1900
What are some of the beliefs of realism?
African American authors: faith as a means of overcoming trial. Focus on portraying "real life" as ordinary people lived it
How did money influence Americans ?
Americans increasingly idealized the progress and the self-made man Lots of wealth and self-made millionaires post-civil war
What are the two central literary questions ?
How does one represent ordinary life faithfully ? How does one avoid the dangers of romance, fantasy, and idealism?
What are three other beliefs of realism
Naturalism: real people; forces larger than the individual shape that individuals destiny
What were problems of urbanization?
Poor and over crowded housing, unsanitary conditions, low pay, difficult working conditions, and inadequate restraints on business
Who was the transition writer? What did he write?
Walt Whitman was a transition writer Wrote leaves of grass and "o captain, my captain"
What are two central thematic questions ?
What allows a community to function ? What defines it ? What threatens it ?
Who are major realist writers?
William dean howells, Henry James, Edward Bellamy, Charles chesnutt, mark twain, Kate Chopin, Theodore dreller, Edith Wharton
