Realism Flashcards
The Gilded Age
As America became a Melting Pot nation by the end of the 19th century, Mark Twain called it the Gilded Age, because only the surface was shining. Beauty on the outside, ugliness inside. Fascination with city as background for action.
William Dean Howells
Criticism and Fiction - first american realist; in the essay he wrote about the theory of writing true to life. Life is optimistic, and realism authors should show nice aspects of life. Decency is true to life, so they should not offend and scandalize woman readers.
Regional Realism
Literature of memory, included elements of nostalgia for a way of life that was disappearing; landscapes, ways of life disappearing, due to the industrialization, manners of life disappearing from view.
The South
Dominated by nostalgia for a lost cause - south as it was before civil war; many writers celebrated southern society as it was during plantations and slavery
The Awakening
Kate Chopins. A feminist novel about a young mother’s search for freedom in post civil war South. She doesn’t fit the ideals of white feminity, and needs to take possesion of her life and body. Commits suicide which is presented as a triumph, because she finds liberation from the social norms.
Classical realism
Shows struggles of middle class and their fight to reach the American Dream.
Mark Twain
Unapologetically proud of being American; key representative of American literature
Born in American South - came from culture where slavery was legal; represents generation much more attracted to wealth than moral values.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain.
Written in language in which people spoke, narrated from point of view of an orphan; narrator speaks to reader in language of a teenager who lacks proper education.
Huck is an observer of reality, distrusts hypocrisy of society, archetypal American character - child who resists becoming part of society, which he considers hipocrytical, full of violence and hostility; at the end he chooses being free from societal conventions, chooses not to mature as a productive member of society.
Relationship with runaway slave Jim - humanity of slaves; book set in pre-civil war society, where slaves are not considered people and need white masters; discovers that slaves are the same - Jim is white inside; Huck chooses with his free will to help Jim and face consequences - test of realism passed by Huck.
Romantication of childhood, many symbols, american variety of realism, mixed with romanticism, symbolism.
Psychological realism
Represented by Henry James. Shows how we perceive reality, how consciousness works; key bridge between realism and modernism; many features of his novels anticipate modernism
His works present interplay between americans traveling in Europe and Europeans traveling to America; clash of cultures
Psychological realism
Represented by Henry James. Shows how we perceive reality, how consciousness works; key bridge between realism and modernism; many features of his novels anticipate modernism
His works present interplay between americans traveling in Europe and Europeans traveling to America; clash of cultures
The Art of Fiction
Henry James. Discussion of novel - novel as an artform has become a mature genre; realism should be true to experience; sensitive person, writer is open to impressions that world makes on them; writing from experience
Wrote dramas - theater taught him to condense, focus on showing rather than telling - mark of superior realism, mature narrative techniques.
Daisy Miller
Henry James. His greatest success, helped popularize certain type of a girl - all american girl, innocent woman ignorant to conventions, which leads to her downfall; attractive innocent american girl traveling through europe with mother and brother; watched by an american - Wintleborn fascinated by her, who can’t decide whether she is innocent or a dangerous flirt who hesitates to return her love; his perceptions of Daisy becomes most important → perceptions change.
