REALISM
in American Literature
The Civil War – 1914
( pre WWI)
Political and Social Milestones
The Civil War 1861- 1865
New weapons-better accuracy
New ways of warfare
-trench warfare
-fewer cavalry assaults
-higher casualties
An all-or-nothing war
Created a war style used in WWI
The End of Slavery and Westward
Expansion
1862 Emancipation Proclamation
The Thirteenth Amendment
1862- Homestead Act
*160 acres of ground- 5 years
* Whites and Freed Slaves
* Transcontinental Railroad
* Farmers, miners, ranchers
Milestones
Photography 1860’s
Many pictures lost- glass used as
windows later or as gas masks in
WWI
People could view a war and its
aftermath
By 1908 Ford Model T changed
American life
Changing Literature of the time-
Soldiers’ letters and diaries
Journalistic writings
Novels- not written- Writers were not
in the battles
Changing Literature of the time-
cont’d
Thoreau, Hawthorne, Dickenson
died during the war years
Other writers were overseas
Current writing styles didn’t meet the
needs of telling about war
REALISTIC STYLE
Works/themes were now based on
-ordinary life
-slums in growing cities
-factories replacing farm life
-corrupt politics
-prostitution
-human behavior- an emerging
science
-plain, everyday language
REALISTIC STYLE
Regionalism—specific settings,
geographic areas, dialects, local
manners
Huckleberry Finn is considered to be
the best example of
Realistic/Regional writing
Mark Twain is considered the father
of Modern Literature
The move from Realism to
Naturalism- Literature would now
Analyze people objectively
Decide that Human behavior is set by
heredity and environment
State that Humans cannot control
their destiny
State that Life is a losing battle in an
uncaring universe