Realism vs.

Naturalism
TRENDS IN LATE 19TH- AND EARLY 20THCENTURY AMERICAN LITERATURE

Previously: Local Color Movement

Kate Chopin our primary Also used to explore

example Stories showcased different regions of the country/continent A focus on local particularities

broader social questions of the day

Chopin: miscegenation and segregation

Coincide with growth of

Louisianan culture, in Chopins case

periodicals for middleclass and upper-class readers

American Realism: An Overview

Key Facts
Approx. 1865-1910 Largely specific to

Major Principles
Insistence upon and

literatureother aesthetics had their own trends in the late 19th c. Reflects U.S. industrial development, growth of cities The individual is simply a personno symbolic/ spiritual significance

defense of "the experienced commonplace. Character more important than plot Explicitly anti-Romantic Morality developed through an examination (often rejection) of idealism Realism = realization of democracy

Identifying Realism
Common Techniques Additional Characteristics
Explicitly non-

Settings known to the

writer Plots emphasizing daily lived experience Ordinary characters Authorial objectivity Responsible morality; a world truly reported

transcendental: the purpose of the text is to instruct and to entertain Explores relations between people and society An emphasis on scenic presentation An objection towards the omniscient point of view

Literature & Philosophy at the fin-de-sicle

Symbolism vs. Imagery
How do we define each of

Self-Determination
An essentially American

these terms? What is the difference? Emerson: "Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact." (AntiEmersonian!) Realism uses imagery, but the symbolic resonance is limited/ controlled.

characteristic? (Yes/no?) A belief that humans control their destinies and their environment How does this run up against the realities of urban life at the turn of the century? Country life?

American Naturalism: Competing Views

An extension of realism, or its own movement? Realism + pessimistic determinism

The individual doesnt just lack transcendence: they are a helpless object Complete lack of free will Characters from lower or lower-middle classes, unsophisticated, sometimes nave Exploring degradation of the self

A focus on the struggle for survival

Again the focus on the commonplace, but now with a dash of passion,

violence, emotional intensity

Trying to make the complexities of lower-class life apparent to a middle-class or upper-class reader

A focus on fate vs. hubris; society as a controlling force Characters are

Controlled by their environment (not controllers of it) Affirm life and individuality in the face of that environment

Represents the intermingling in life of controlling forces and individual

worth (Pizer)

Comparative Discussion Questions (1 of 2)

Female characters

Why do Jewett and Crane choose to feature female protagonists to begin with? How are these two alike or different? How do they compare to Desiree or other characters weve encountered so far? What features of daily life in both Crane and Jewett are directly tied to the growth of industry? Does industry have a morality in either story? How is the American landscape described in both Crane and Jewett? Can you see an evolution in this description from Chopin (Local Color) to Jewett (Realism) to Crane (Naturalism)?

Industrial revolution

Natural world

Comparative Discussion Questions (2 of 2)

Building connections Generally, Chopin is considered a regionalist, Jewett a realist, and Crane a naturalist. If you compare the moral code of each story, and the role of the individual within each society, do you think those classifications hold up? Why or why not? How is sexuality taken up as a concern in each text? How is each authors approach to the topic alike or different? Think back to Whitman. How does the poetry we read in Week 1 of class compare to what we have seen in todays reading? Compare Turners analysis of the frontier and Carnegies understanding of capitalism. How are those ideas at work in Jewett? Crane?

Jewett Discussion Questions (1 of 2)

How comfortable is each character when outdoors? When

in the home? How does the text mark Sylvias transition from city life to country life? Compare Sylvia and Black Elks relationships to nature. How are they similar? What about Sylvia and the hunter?
How much of Sylvias anxiety is about that transition from

urban to rural life? Why is Sylvia so concerned that she might be at fault?

Jewett Discussion Questions (2 of 2)

What physical aspects of each character are most

emphasized in the story? Why does the grandmother share her stories with the hunter so readily? How many names are given to the stranger character in this story? What are they? Why is this person named in this way?
How does Sylvias relationship to the heron change as

she climbs the tree? When and why does the narrative tense change? What do the tree and the cow symbolize here?

Maggie, A Girl of the Streets: Talking Points

Sexual Double Standard
You make me

Reality vs. Imagination

tired (both Jimmie to Hattie and Pete to Maggie). Broader meaning? Rejection of responsibility Compare turn against Maggie to turn against Desiree

Maggies mother on

how she brought her up Maggies misreading of Pete & of the vaudeville show The worsted boots muddied symbolism/ imagery?

Maggie, Talking Points Continued

New York & Its Lower Classes
Mobile population? Who

Responsibility
Is this what life would be

can roam the citys streets? Factory work vs. street life Role of police and courts among urban poor (modern-day parallels?) Close read: 1st paragraph of Chapter II

like today without the social safety net? Is life already like this in America today, for some? Is Maggie responsible for her own life story? Are any of these characters? Where does the responsibility ultimately lie?

Capitalism, redux:
APPLY YOUR WORKING DEFINITION OF CAPITALISM TO THIS STORY. DOES IT CHANGE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF CRANES POINT? DOES CRANES NOVELLA CHANGE YOUR DEFINITION OF CAPITALISM?

 Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 5: Late

Sources

Nineteenth Century - American Realism - A Brief Introduction." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. URL:http://www.csustan.edu/english/ reuben/pal/chap5/5intro.html Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 6: American Naturalism - A Brief Introduction." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. URL:http://www.csustan.edu/english/ reuben/pal/chap6/6intro.html http://ncteamericancollection.org/ amer_realism.htm Discussion questions by me.