The Rise of Realism

The Civil War and Post War Period1850-1900

The Rise of RealismWhat does it mean to be idealistic? What does it mean to be realistic? Consider this: What would the idealistic classroom look like to a teacher? How does that vary from the realistic view of the classroom? Make notes in the chart below to describe both sides of the issue.In the Idealistic

Classroom…In the Realistic Classroom…

The teacher would have lessons that appealed to EVERY student.

Only five or six students really had any interest in the lesson.

The Rise of RealismAnswer the following questions on your guided notes page to begin our new unit.1. Why might writers and artists want to

depict life accurately, without idealizing or romanticizing their subject?

2. How do you think the Civil War would contribute to the rise of realism?

What is Realism?O Realism is a style of writing, developed in

the nineteenth century, that attempts to depict life accurately without idealizing or romanticizing it.

Romanticism Vs. Realism

RomanticismO Emphasizes imagination

and emotionsO Depicts larger-than-life

heroes O Views the world

idealisticallyO Focuses on the exotic,

the supernatural and imaginary worlds

RealismO Emphasizes accuracy

and objectivityO Depicts common,

everyday heroesO Views the words

scientificallyO Focuses on real

situations

What led to the rise of Realism?

OThe Civil WarOAdvances in technologyOAdvances in science and

educationOSocial changes, especially

for newly freed slaves and women

The Civil War – 1861-1865O It was the largest contributor to the

development of realism.O (Why would a war cause people to abandon

imagination and idealistic lines of thought?)O The four year conflict destroyed cities and

industries, as well as divided many familiesO It left bitter memories and economic

destruction, especially in the South.

Changes in TechnologyOTechnological advancements

also contributed to the rise of Realism, especially the invention of photography, telephones and coast-to-coast railways

PhotographyO Photography allowed people to see

real, sometimes dismaying or shocking, images of war and poverty

O Mathew Brady became one of the most famous and celebrated photographers of the time. He took numerous photographs of what was happening on the battlefields during the Civil War and sent them to newspapers to be published. He is credited with creating photojournalism, or the art of telling a story through pictures.

Mathew Brady Photographs

Telephones and RailroadsO Telephones and the spread of railroads across

the country allowed news to travel faster than ever before.

O Because people had knowledge of events sooner, they began to take more of an interest in the events and issues that were impacting the country

O Railroads also made it easier for people to travel the country and witness events for themselves, as well as experience the country’s diversity of culture and beliefs

Transcontinental Railroad Map

Changes in Science and Education

O New advancements in psychology, biology and geology contradicted long-held beliefs about the nature of humans, the world and the universe.

O People no longer accepted most things without scientific proof.

O Sigmund Freud created the concept of psychological analysis. He was seeking a way to explain why people do what they do, and his ideas influenced realist writers as they tried to explain characters’ actions.

Changes in EducationO Education and access to schools were more

readily available. More and more women, minorities and the poor were learning to read.

O The government passed acts that provided for taxpayer funded schools, so the number of schools increased.

Changes in EducationO Textbooks began to be written

and published for use in schools and new curriculums were developed.

O McGuffey’s Readers were one of the most popular textbooks at the time, and used to teach most beginning readers.

O Newspapers and magazines became more popular and less expensive, which encouraged more to attend school and learn to read.

The 13th AmendmentO The ratification of the 13th amendment

forced many Americans to rethink their way of life. Slavery was outlawed, and many had to decide how they would provide for or interact with the newly freed slaves.

O Many former slaves moved to the Northern states since their laws and expectations were more welcoming than those in the South.

Realistic Literature Will…O Contain themes that center on contemporary society

and on the lives of the middle and lower classes O Describe the details of everyday life, even if they are

unpleasant or difficult to think aboutO Feature characters that are based on the poor or

outcasts of societyO Avoid extravagant language in favor of more simpler,

everyday diction, and will often imitate regional dialects that help reveal their speech patterns, behaviors and attitudes

O Emphasize irony

So who are some of the Realist writers we’ll study?

O Walt WhitmanO Frederick DouglassO Abraham LincolnO Ambrose BierceO Stephen CraneO Mark TwainO Kate Chopin

How many of these are you already familiar with?

Branches of Realism: Regionalism

O Regionalism is literature that emphasizes a specific geographic setting and reproduces the speech, behavior, and attitudes of the people who live in that region. So in other words, the writers wrote like people spoke.O How would regionalist writers portray

Kentuckians speech today? What examples of slang or what speech pattern is specific to our geographical area?

O Regionalist writers differed from strict realists by portraying their characters in a somewhat sentimental fashion.

O Mark Twain is the most well-known regionalist writer.

Branches of Realism: NaturalismO Naturalism is a 19th century literary

movement that portrayed life exactly as it was

O It was inspired by new sciences of psychology and sociobiology and the argument that behavior was determined by heredity and the environment and was beyond human control

O Stephen Crane and Ambrose Bierce were two of the Naturalist writers