RealismSenior English

Ms. Bloemker

When????

• The literary movement called Realism started around the 1840’s.

Where????

• The first Realist writers were from Europe, especially France.

• Realism eventually spread throughout the world and extended into literature and other arts

Why?????What was going on?

• When the Realist movement was taking place, the world was in a time of change and confusion.

• Does anyone have any ideas why this was true?

Industrial Revolution

• While the industrial revolution allowed the middle class to get richer, the working class was underpaid and overworked.

• Laws were eventually passed to make working conditions better, but conditions were still horrendous

Mass Production

• Things that used to be made by hand could now be made much faster and cheaper by machines.

• Can you think of anything that can be made much faster by a machine?

Railroads

• Trains were built across Europe and carried goods from the factories to the cities.

• How would railroads have helped to unite a nation?

Civil War and Reconstruction

• The United States went through a Civil War from 1861 until 1865.

• The war was ended when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves.

• The south was basically destroyed and many newly freed African Americans were trying to find their place in the world.

The Development of Nations

• Nationalism, or the belief that people who share a common culture make up a nation, became popular.

• Ethnic groups began wanting to be seen as a nation and revolts took place.

• In some place, like Germany, this eventually caused dictatorships and world wars.

• Is nationalism popular now?

Imperialism

• To make more money, Europe started looking for new places to get materials from.

• Europeans moved into Africa, dividing it into colonies.

• Europeans also gained some control in Asia and India.

What do you think?

• Taking over another country like this is called Imperialism… How do you think it effects the nations involved?

Reform

• There was also a lot of call for reform, or change, at this time.

• Change was desired in the factories

• Some women organized together in order to obtain the right to vote. This is called suffrage. However, no women were given the right at this time.

Successful Reforms

• Slavery was abolished in England in 1833 and in France in 1848.

• In the United States the slaves were freed in 1863.

• A free public education was granted to most European nations by the late 1800’s and in all of the American States by 1870.

• Do we have reform movements now? Are there any specifically in Kansas City?

Inventions and Breakthroughs

• Electricity and the light bulb were invented.

• The machine gun, photography, x-rays, aspirin, and antiseptics were just a few other inventions.

• A French chemist named Louis Pasteur discovered that bacteria caused disease.

• The automobile and telephone were invented as well, but they did not have their full impact until later in the century.

Can you imagine?

• Can you imagine how these inventions changed people’s everyday lives? What were some ways that life would have changed?

• What do you think were positive things that happened in this time period?

• What about negative?

What?????• The literature that arouse out of

this era was called Realism. It dealt with the accurate, or realistic, portrayal of life in literature.

• Realists wrote in a detached manner. They were observing and recording facts. This is different from the emotional and imaginative Romantics.

• Instead of having elaborate plots, Realists focused on everyday occurrences.

• Because Realists were writing accurate portrayals of life, their works often did not have happy endings.

• Gustave Courbet’s “The Stone Breakers”

Who?????

• Realists wrote about the daily struggles and disappointments of ordinary people.

• The characters in their writings were often peasants, businessmen, or housewives.

• Everyone, even the upper-class characters were portrayed with faults.

• Honore Daumier Painting

More Art