American Regionalism, Realism, and Naturalism

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American Regionalism, Realism, and Naturalism

• 1860-1920(ish)

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What is Realism?

• A faithful representation of reality in
  literature, also known as verisimilitude (the
  appearance of truth, the quality of truth)
• Emphasis on development of believable characters.
• Written in natural vernacular, or dialect.
• Prominent from 1860-1890.

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Realism

• Realism sought to portray life as faithfully and
  accurately as possible, focusing on ordinary
  people suffering the harsh realties of everyday
  life. It depicts ordinary people coping with
  everyday realities.
• Authors included Mark Twain, Henry James, Edith
  Wharton, Willa Cather, and Dunbar
• The Literature
• Presented life objectively
• Favored science and technology
• Found meaning in the mundane
• Focused on socials ills and social conflict

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Elements of Realism

• Rejection of the idealized, larger-than-life hero
  of Romantic Literature
• Detailed depiction of ordinary characters and
  realistic events
• Emphasis on characters from cities and lower
  classes
• Avoidance of the exotic, sensational, and overly
  dramatic
• Use of everyday speech patterns to reveal class
  distinctions
• Focus on the ethical struggles and social issues
  of real-life situations
• Sought to explain why ordinary people behave the
  way they do

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Realist Writers

• Mark Twain
• William Dean Howells
• Henry James
• Edgar Lee Masters

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Why did Realism 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

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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.

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Regionalist Writers

• Kate ChopinSouth
• Mary E. Wilkins-FreemanNew England
• Mark TwainWest
• Willa CatherMidwest

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Why did Regionalism 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

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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 individuals were governed by
  heredity and environment.
• Often depict man in conflict with nature,
  society, or himself.
• Prominent from 1880-1920(ish)

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Naturalism-Focuses on peoples helplessness in
the face of chance

• Sought to portray ordinary peoples lives, but
  suggested that environment, heredity, and chance,
  or forces they could neither understand nor
  control, determined peoples fate.
• Authors included Stephen Crane, Kate Chopin,
  Theodore Dreiser, Jack London
• Mans destiny was determined by heredity and
  natural selection, society, psychological
  impulses, and economic class
• Created the representative, not the actual

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Naturalism

• Influenced by emerging disciplines of psychology
  and sociology
• Attempt to analyze human behavior objectively, as
  a scientist would
• Belief that human behavior is determined by
  heredity and environment
• Sense that human beings cannot control their own
  destinies
• Sense of life as a losing battle against an
  uncaring universe

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Naturalist Writers

• Stephen Crane
• Ambrose Bierce
• Jack London
• Edwin Arlington Robinson
• Katherine Anne Porter
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman
• Edith Wharton

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Why did Naturalism 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 Darwins Origin of the
  Species

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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.