the rise of realism: civil war and postwar writing 1850-1900
TRANSCRIPT
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The Rise of Realism:Civil War and Postwar Writing
1850-1900
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Influential Writers• Whitman:– One of the few writers who witnessed the war first
hand (worked in hospital)– Optimistic and idealistic response to war
• Emerson– Patriotic and idealistic response
• Melville– Disillusioned by war: changed his perspective on man
and innocence– Examined humanity’s basic evil
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Literature during the war
• Very little publication of literature• Many writers didn’t write from first-hand
experience, but all were effected• Needed new types/forms of literature to
express horror of war
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Realist writers
• Specific truths about common experiences.• Represented environment and life experiences
accurately.• Explained human behavior (why we do what
we do)• Dependent on social sciences (psychology and
sociology) and biology
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Contrast with Romanticism
• Accurate portrayal in real settings (vs. exotic locales)
• Objective without idealism (vs. escapism)• Focus on ordinary life (vs.
extraordinary/spiritual)• Incorporation of psychology and irony (vs.
emphasis on God in nature)
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Regionalism
• One type of realist writing• Emphasized specific geographic
location/setting• Accurately portrayed dialogue and behavior of
people from that region (written the way people spoke)
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Naturalism
• Type of realist writing• Characters w/limited choices, subject to
natural law of universe• Focus on social questions and reform• Man vs. Nature, the fragility of man and life
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Psychological Fiction
• Type of realist writing• Focused on character motivation (why we do
what we do)• Explored social and psychological situations –
impact of stress, grief, extreme situations, etc.
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Ironists
• Contemplated man’s place in the universe• Human arrogance vs. vastness/indifference of
the universe