Realism Era

1
Realism Era

• 1880-1914

2
Characteristics

• Desire to record celebrate the diversity of
  America
• Strict attention to recording the speech,
  mannerisms and behaviors of the time (vernacular)
• Paints the local scenes
• Tends to be humorous or sentimental
• Discusses the expanding U.S.
• Darwin/Freud have impact on some writers

3
Global Events

• 1881 Rabies vaccine
• 1885 First gasoline-powered vehicle
• 1896 First Olympics in Athens
• 1905 Einstein - theory of relativity
• 1912 Titanic sinks
• 1914 World War I begins

4
U.S. Events

• 1883 Brooklyn Bridge opens
• 1885 First skyscraper in Chicago
• 1890 Sioux are killed at Wounded Knee
• 1903 First airplane flight
• 1904 U.S. takes over Panama Canal construction
• 1913 Henry Ford - mass production of autos

5
Literary Figures

• 1884 Mark Twain
• 1894 Kate Chopin
• 1895 Stephen Crane wrote Red Badge of Courage

6
Literary Figures

• 1906 Upton Sinclair publishes The Jungle
  (controversial because it drew attention to
  unsafe conditions within the meat-packing
  industry)
• 1913 Willa Cather published O Piioneers!

7
Sub-CategoryNaturalism

• Reacts against idealized heroes of romantic era
• Aims to accurately depict social issues and
  problems
• Present human behavior objectively
  (scientifically)
• Influenced by Darwinism and theories of
  psychology

8
Differences

• Realism hits the scene after the Civil War.
• Effort to really show what every day life is like
  - may be different depending on the person.
• Characters emerge in stories that really showcase
  the times , the speech, the customs of people.
  Each region might be different.
• Start to really discuss through writing social
  injustices, what happens due to industrialization
  (good and bad)