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American Realism

Thomas Charles Farrer (1839-1891), Mount Tom, 1865. American Realism. 1850-1900 The Civil War and Post-War Period. Realists sought to accurately portray real life, without filtering it through personal feelings, romanticism, or idealism. Elements of Literature, 6 th ed (419).

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American Realism

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  1. Thomas Charles Farrer (1839-1891), Mount Tom, 1865 American Realism 1850-1900 The Civil War and Post-War Period

  2. Realists sought to accurately portray real life, without filtering it through personal feelings, romanticism, or idealism. Elements of Literature, 6thed (419)

  3. American Realism—Big Ideas • The world is what it is, and that can be awful and frightening • Verisimilitude – present the world as it actually is • accepting reality as reality • rejection of the sensational or sentimental • focus on the ordinary man • loss of optimism

  4. Response to • Start of the Civil War • Rapidly growing cities and slums • Factories replacing farms • Corruption in politics • Sentimentality of Romanticism Children in Mullen’s Alley, photograph, Jacob Riis, 1888

  5. Characteristics • Presents reality in specific detail • Uses language of people and places • Dialect: a variety of language distinguished from other forms of the same language by grammar, spelling, and vocabulary • Vernacular: plain, everyday language used by ordinary people • Character is more important than plot • Ethical dilemmas often explored • Typically focused on the middle class • Avoid the sensational or overly dramatic

  6. Twain’s War Prayer • Read the piece. Make notes about what is happening as you go. • When the mysterious man enters and speaks to the congregation, find examples of irony in his interpretation of their prayer. • What is Twain satirizing here? • What is his message?

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