Realism, Regionalism, and Naturalism

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Realism, Regionalism, and Naturalism

• Literary Movements

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Realism (1865-1915)

• Realism is the presentation of the details of
  actual life. 
• Literary movement that stressed the actual, NOT
  the imagined. 
• Truthful about ordinary characters in ordinary
  situations 
• Reacted against Romanticism, rejecting heroic,
  adventurous, unusual, or unfamiliar subjects.
• Examples Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, Kate
  Chopin, Jack London, Stephen Crane 

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Naturalism

• An outgrowth of Realism, Naturalism was a
  literary movement among novelists where they
  traced the effects of heredity (genes/genetics)
  and environment on people who are helpless to
  change their situations.
• Viewed people as helpless victims of natural laws
  
• They believed in the theory of Darwinism
• Survival of the fittest
• Examples Jack London, Stephen Crane

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Regionalism

• Another outgrowth of Realism, Regionalism in
  literature is the tendency among certain authors
  to write about specific geographical areas. 
• Regional writers present the distinct culture of
  an area, including its speech, customs, beliefs,
  and history.
• Regionalists usually go beyond the presentation
  of culture and attempt to create a sociological
  or anthropological treatment of the culture of a
  region.
• Examples Mark Twain, Jack London, Willa Cather

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Why was Regionalism Important?

• ONLY WAY TO SEE THE COUNTRY!!
• Turn of the 20th Century
• 8 of homes had a telephone
• 8,000 cars
• 144 miles of paved road
• Speed limits were about 10 mph in cities
• American Flag had 45 stars
• Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska
  were NOT part of the US yet

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Source

• American Literature Major Movements and Terms. 9
  Dec 2004 lthttp//staff.gps. edu/gaither/literary_m
  ovements.htmgt.