American Regionalism, Realism, and Naturalism

1860-1920’s

What is Realism?What is Realism?

A faithful representation of reality in literature, also known as “verisimilitude.”

Emphasis on development of believable characters.

Written in natural vernacular, or dialect.

Prominent from 1860-1890.

Realist WritersRealist Writers

Mark Twain

William Dean Howells

Henry James

Why did Realism Why did Realism develop?develop?

The Civil War

The urbanization and industrialization of America

As a reaction to Romanticism

Increasing rates of democracy and literacy

The emerging middle class

Upheaval and social change in the latter half of the 19th century

Nineteenth-century Nineteenth-century Definitions of RomanceDefinitions of Romance

Romance focuses “upon the extraordinary, the mysterious, the imaginary.” –Bliss Perry (1903)

Nathaniel Hawthorne: the romance “has fairly a right to present that truth under circumstances, to a great extent, of the writer’s own choosing or creation” (Preface to The House of the Seven Gables)

Romance and Realism: Romance and Realism: Taste and ClassTaste and Class

Romance

Aspired to the ideal

Thought to be more genteel since it did not show the vulgar details of life

Realism

Thought to be more democratic

Critics stressed the potential for vulgarity and its emphasis on the commonplace

Potential “poison” for the pure of mind

What is Regionalism?What is Regionalism? Often called “local color.”

Focuses on characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features specific to a certain region (eg. the South)

Coincided with Realism and sharing many of the same traits.

Prominent from 1865-1895.

Regionalist WritersRegionalist Writers

Kate Chopin—South

Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman—New England

Mark Twain—West

Willa Cather—Midwest

Why did Regionalism Why did Regionalism develop?develop?

Dual influence of Romanticism and Realism

The Civil War and the building of a national identity

An outgrowth of realism with more focus on a particular setting and its influence over characters

What is Naturalism?What is Naturalism? Applied scientific principles of

objectivity and detachment to the study of human beings.

Influenced by Darwinism (natural selection) and psychology (Freud)

Posited that men were governed by heredity and environment.

Often depict man in conflict with nature, society, or himself.

Prominent from 1880-1920s

Naturalist WritersNaturalist Writers

Stephen Crane Ambrose Bierce Jack London Edwin Arlington

Robinson Katherine Anne

Porter Charlotte Perkins

Gilman Edith Wharton

Why did Naturalism Why did Naturalism develop?develop?

The swell of immigrants in the latter half of the 19th century, which led to a larger lower class and increased poverty in the cities

The prominence of psychology and the theories of Sigmund Freud

Pessimism in the wake of the Civil War and Reconstruction

Publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species

Points to Remember…Points to Remember…

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.

Works CitedWorks Citedwww.wsu.edu/~campbelld/powerpoint/realismmedium.ppt

www.huffenglish.com/powerpoints/American%20Regionalism,%20Realism,%20and%20Naturalism.ppt