"And Ain't I a Woman" by Sojourner Truth is another work of Regionalism because it is told by a very southern lady in a very southern dialect. Her use of the words "honey" and "children" and vernacular along those lines makes it very obvious that she is from the South (Truth). The effects of this regional technique makes people feel comfortable and natural listening to her and empathize with what she is trying to get across. Her use of language is crucial to her cause, because it makes people more likely to sympathize with her cause because the problem she was addressing was important in her region. The use of regional language made her seem to be more of an authority on the topic considering that it was native to her region, although there were many areas of the country that had a struggle with women's rights (Truth).
Sojourner Truth addresses ideas that are very applicable to the time period during which she is writing them, which is characteristic of Realism. She addresses the ideas of women's rights, specifically for the black woman (Truth). During this time period women did not have that many rights, which she was trying to speak out against. And although white women did not have very many rights as far as real estate ownership and the ability to work and all that that entails, they were still treated with respect and dignity. Men believed in treating white women as though they were fragile and precious creatures to be treated as such. However, African American women were not given these same respects, which Sojourner Truth saw as extremely unjust (Truth).
The way Sojourner Truth appeals to one particular region is especially important to Regionalism. Because she focuses on the south, her ideas have more credentials. It is a well-known fact that southerners have usually been known for their hospitality. You often hear references to Southern charm or Southern hospitality. This is why it was all the more shocking and hurtful that African American women, who were members of this society and not just guests to the area, were not treated with the utmost respect. If strangers could be treated well, the women should be treated well also.
Realism is a genre that focuses on real life issues and their importance (Werlock). Because this work was written in 1851, it was one of the frontrunners of this new genre. It was also unique in the way that it addressed the rights of women which were not very high in those times. Before this genre was established things like this were not discussed. As the greater meaning of things started to fade away with the fading of Romanticism, real stories and important things started to have a bigger stage in the literature scene (Werlock). Things that were actually relevant to the time period became what people actually wanted to write about. This was a very crucial and important step towards resolving important issues. With the arrival of Realism and Regionalism came steps in the right direction towards reforms that were soon to come in all different areas of life in America.
Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 370.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Analysis of Slave Poems
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Go Down, Moses," and "Keep Your Hand on the Plow" are three other Realism works that were made during the time of slavery in the South. These works are three songs or poetry style works that are were written and passed down by the slaves during times of hardship and slavery in order to keep their morale high. Although these songs were not able to be written down until much later because the slaves were not permitted to be educated in any form, especially reading and writing, they were passed down the generations through word of mouth.
These poems or songs were written about the same area, a plantation in the south, and therefore they can be defined as works of Regionalism, a subgenre of the bigger Realism (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). The words and vernacular that are used in these poems are a reflection of the area in which they were written, which is a characteristic of Regionalism. The importance of Regionalism was that it enables the reader to feel more like he or she is in a familiar place or time. By incorporating familiar phrases and ideas, the work feels more legitimate and true (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Another important idea in these three poems was their common idea of uplifting one another in order to keep morale high. Some of the poems specifically referenced ideas of rescue or freedom that are found in the Christian Bible. For example "Go Down Moses," is a reference to a story in the book Exodus found within the Bible that details the deliverance of God's people out of slavery in Egypt ("Go"). It is therefore understandable that the reference of such miraculous rescues were a popular idea among the slaves wishing for their freedom. Most of the songs written by the slaves in some way detail praise and worship for God and discuss the way in which they have faith that he will deliver them.
In these poems it is obvious that the slaves are not well educated and therefore can only express themselves in a limited way with language. For this reason many of their writings were not intricately detailed ordeals, but rather they were simple songs of supplication and faith in their God. There was a lot of repetition of lines, such as in "Go Down Moses," where every stanza ends with "let my people go" ("Go"). In this way their song is powerful emotionally and also illustrates their point successfully with repetition.
The use of a common slave as a narrator in these stories also reflects Realism. Because they are not the well-educated narrators of the past, they are more real and relatable to everyday people. In this instance, the songs were simply designed for other slaves in order to keep their morale high, and the songs were very successful in doing so. Therefore they achieved their intended purpose of their projected audience and were easy for the others to relate to. This is another objective of Realism as well as its subgenre Regionalism (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 8, 2011.
"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 347.
"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 348.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 346.
These poems or songs were written about the same area, a plantation in the south, and therefore they can be defined as works of Regionalism, a subgenre of the bigger Realism (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). The words and vernacular that are used in these poems are a reflection of the area in which they were written, which is a characteristic of Regionalism. The importance of Regionalism was that it enables the reader to feel more like he or she is in a familiar place or time. By incorporating familiar phrases and ideas, the work feels more legitimate and true (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Another important idea in these three poems was their common idea of uplifting one another in order to keep morale high. Some of the poems specifically referenced ideas of rescue or freedom that are found in the Christian Bible. For example "Go Down Moses," is a reference to a story in the book Exodus found within the Bible that details the deliverance of God's people out of slavery in Egypt ("Go"). It is therefore understandable that the reference of such miraculous rescues were a popular idea among the slaves wishing for their freedom. Most of the songs written by the slaves in some way detail praise and worship for God and discuss the way in which they have faith that he will deliver them.
In these poems it is obvious that the slaves are not well educated and therefore can only express themselves in a limited way with language. For this reason many of their writings were not intricately detailed ordeals, but rather they were simple songs of supplication and faith in their God. There was a lot of repetition of lines, such as in "Go Down Moses," where every stanza ends with "let my people go" ("Go"). In this way their song is powerful emotionally and also illustrates their point successfully with repetition.
The use of a common slave as a narrator in these stories also reflects Realism. Because they are not the well-educated narrators of the past, they are more real and relatable to everyday people. In this instance, the songs were simply designed for other slaves in order to keep their morale high, and the songs were very successful in doing so. Therefore they achieved their intended purpose of their projected audience and were easy for the others to relate to. This is another objective of Realism as well as its subgenre Regionalism (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 8, 2011.
"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 347.
"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 348.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 346.
Analysis of Lincoln's Speeches
Realism is a genre begun at the beginning of the nineteenth century by influential writers and leaders who began to incorporate the ideas into their speeches (Werlock). These ideas include representing causes and stories with facts and well as plays on emotions (Werlock). In this way the writer gains an emotional response while also using facts to prove those with more scientific or perhaps just skeptical minds, because some people just need proof no matter how convincing the argument may be on the emotional end.
In Lincoln's speeches, "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" and "The Gettysburg Address," he addresses these sentiments. During both speeches he plays upon facts in the different instances, and he also caters to the emotions of the people that he is trying to reach.
In "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865", Lincoln addresses the divine teachings taught in the Bible that men have to pay for their actions and that true justice is always carried out by God in order to even out the score here on Earth (Lincoln, from "Second"). He talks about this in relation to the punishment that the Americans were being afforded because of their injustice in the system of slavery. Because they spent so long mistreating the slaves, two hundred and fifty years was the number referenced in his speech, then it would be natural that the people would then have to suffer two hundred and fifty years of punishment in order to remedy these injustices. Abraham Lincoln believed that the Civil War and the blood that was shed there was God's punishment for these injustices afforded to the African American slaves (Lincoln, from "Second").
In "The Gettysburg Address," Lincoln addresses the idea of patriotism and what men owe the men who sacrificed their own lives so that we could live in a free nation that stands on its principles (Lincoln, "Gettysburg"). This address was given on an actual battlefield, hence its title, "The Gettysburg Address." This speech was all about how nations that fight amongst themselves cannot endure. He goes on to detail how a nation can never repay the men who fought and struggled for their freed, but he says that the only way they can even attempt to do so is to continue to struggle for the cause that these men laid down their lives for in order to make sure that they would not have died in vain (Lincoln, "Gettysburg").
These speeches represented Realism in their setting and their content. Both were extremely relevant to the time period. Each of them addressed ideas that were happening that were extremely influential and important to the country, such as the Civil War that was happening during "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" (Lincoln, from "Second"). They also represented Realism by showing the heroes to be everyday American citizens and what they could do to help out their country and respect those who had come before them and struggled for their freedom. In "The Gettysburg Address," Lincoln simply referenced "the living" as the people who were responsible for carrying on the task laid before them (Lincoln, "Gettysburg"). It does not get more general than that, and there is no better way to encompass everyone. In this way his speech applied to every single person that heard it, which is an important aspect of Realism.
Lincoln, Abraham. from "Second Inaugural Address." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 339.
Lincoln, Abraham. "Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln Civil War Speech." American Civil War History Timelines Battle Map Pictures. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
In Lincoln's speeches, "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" and "The Gettysburg Address," he addresses these sentiments. During both speeches he plays upon facts in the different instances, and he also caters to the emotions of the people that he is trying to reach.
In "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865", Lincoln addresses the divine teachings taught in the Bible that men have to pay for their actions and that true justice is always carried out by God in order to even out the score here on Earth (Lincoln, from "Second"). He talks about this in relation to the punishment that the Americans were being afforded because of their injustice in the system of slavery. Because they spent so long mistreating the slaves, two hundred and fifty years was the number referenced in his speech, then it would be natural that the people would then have to suffer two hundred and fifty years of punishment in order to remedy these injustices. Abraham Lincoln believed that the Civil War and the blood that was shed there was God's punishment for these injustices afforded to the African American slaves (Lincoln, from "Second").
In "The Gettysburg Address," Lincoln addresses the idea of patriotism and what men owe the men who sacrificed their own lives so that we could live in a free nation that stands on its principles (Lincoln, "Gettysburg"). This address was given on an actual battlefield, hence its title, "The Gettysburg Address." This speech was all about how nations that fight amongst themselves cannot endure. He goes on to detail how a nation can never repay the men who fought and struggled for their freed, but he says that the only way they can even attempt to do so is to continue to struggle for the cause that these men laid down their lives for in order to make sure that they would not have died in vain (Lincoln, "Gettysburg").
These speeches represented Realism in their setting and their content. Both were extremely relevant to the time period. Each of them addressed ideas that were happening that were extremely influential and important to the country, such as the Civil War that was happening during "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" (Lincoln, from "Second"). They also represented Realism by showing the heroes to be everyday American citizens and what they could do to help out their country and respect those who had come before them and struggled for their freedom. In "The Gettysburg Address," Lincoln simply referenced "the living" as the people who were responsible for carrying on the task laid before them (Lincoln, "Gettysburg"). It does not get more general than that, and there is no better way to encompass everyone. In this way his speech applied to every single person that heard it, which is an important aspect of Realism.
Lincoln, Abraham. from "Second Inaugural Address." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 339.
Lincoln, Abraham. "Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln Civil War Speech." American Civil War History Timelines Battle Map Pictures. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Analysis of "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro"
The speech delivered by Frederick Douglass entitled "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro" falls into the regular Realism genre. This speech was delivered to a white congregation, which was in itself a reflection of Realism. Realism was one of the first genres to bring about the use of narrators that were not considered the norm in previous generations. Typically the narrators before had been well educated white males. The fact that an African American was giving a speech was in and of itself a reflection of Realism.
This speech was delivered in 1852, which made its contents appropriate for the time period (Douglass, 337). It also occurred furing the middle of the civil war, which is why it was appropriate. The speech talked about the injustice of Fourth of July celebration for the negroes. In the purest definiton of Realism, the speech that was delivered was simply real. Frederick Douglass used a combination of emotions and facts in order to get his point across, which is a fundamental concept of Realism. Realism is all about the mixing of Rationalism and Romanticism. One relies purely on scientific facts while the other relies on feelings and emotions to convey its point. In Realism, these two ideas are joined. In this way, Frederick Douglass played upon the emotions of the people by approaching them with solid facts about the injustice (Douglass, 337).
Frederick Douglass' point in "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro" is that America was being incredibly hyocritical in their celebration of the Fourth of July (Douglass, 337). The whole point of that holiday is to celebrate that all people in the country are free from the chains and bondage that was imposed upon them my Great Britain. However, while they are sitting there celebrating their own freedom, slaves are being help captive in that same country that seems to value freedom so greatly. In this way Douglass displays the idea of Realism by using the everyday African American person as the hero (Douglass, 337).
An important aspect of Realism is the hero and who is displayed as a hero in this literature . The hero is normally a person that people will be able to relate to very well and sympathize with. He is typically an average citizen who is just trying to make the most of the situations that he is thrust into. In Frederick Douglass' speech, although it was written by an African American man about the plights of African American people to a strictly white audience, he played upon the basic ideas of humanity and the rights that we all share (Douglass, 337). This is where some of the emotion comes into play. Sometimes guilt is the best way to make someone understand what they have done that was wrong. Frederick Douglass employed the guilt factor by making the white men realize that they are being hypocritical by saying that they deserved their freedom from Great Britain but the African Americans do not deserve freedom from their bondage as well (Douglass, 337).
Douglass, Frederick. from "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Glencoe American Literature.comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 337.
This speech was delivered in 1852, which made its contents appropriate for the time period (Douglass, 337). It also occurred furing the middle of the civil war, which is why it was appropriate. The speech talked about the injustice of Fourth of July celebration for the negroes. In the purest definiton of Realism, the speech that was delivered was simply real. Frederick Douglass used a combination of emotions and facts in order to get his point across, which is a fundamental concept of Realism. Realism is all about the mixing of Rationalism and Romanticism. One relies purely on scientific facts while the other relies on feelings and emotions to convey its point. In Realism, these two ideas are joined. In this way, Frederick Douglass played upon the emotions of the people by approaching them with solid facts about the injustice (Douglass, 337).
Frederick Douglass' point in "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro" is that America was being incredibly hyocritical in their celebration of the Fourth of July (Douglass, 337). The whole point of that holiday is to celebrate that all people in the country are free from the chains and bondage that was imposed upon them my Great Britain. However, while they are sitting there celebrating their own freedom, slaves are being help captive in that same country that seems to value freedom so greatly. In this way Douglass displays the idea of Realism by using the everyday African American person as the hero (Douglass, 337).
An important aspect of Realism is the hero and who is displayed as a hero in this literature . The hero is normally a person that people will be able to relate to very well and sympathize with. He is typically an average citizen who is just trying to make the most of the situations that he is thrust into. In Frederick Douglass' speech, although it was written by an African American man about the plights of African American people to a strictly white audience, he played upon the basic ideas of humanity and the rights that we all share (Douglass, 337). This is where some of the emotion comes into play. Sometimes guilt is the best way to make someone understand what they have done that was wrong. Frederick Douglass employed the guilt factor by making the white men realize that they are being hypocritical by saying that they deserved their freedom from Great Britain but the African Americans do not deserve freedom from their bondage as well (Douglass, 337).
Douglass, Frederick. from "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Glencoe American Literature.comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 337.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Regionalism Blog
Regionalism is yet another subset of the Realism genre. Regionalism, befitting its title, gets its classification from the setting of the story. However, the setting also obviously plays an extremely important role in other aspects of the stories. For example, the setting greatly influences the voice of the main character, the events that happen during the story, and the customs and dialect used within the story.
Regionalism is a form of writing that centers around a particular area of the United States (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). Different authors specialized in all varieties of regions. Each region of the country was represented somehow in this genre, such as the West, the South, New England, and areas where immigrants went to live once they had arrived in America. Each of these regions captured a whole different set of unique qualities and characters that made the stories fascinating(Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Most authors in this genre centered around a particular city or county that was important to them in some way (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). For many it was where they grew up or spent most of their lives. In this way they were very familiar with the way things worked in the particular region and were therefore able to make the characters come alive in a way that was very realistic and believable. In fact, the main idea of the entire genre was the more one knew his or her setting, the more believable the characters would become(Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). Because of this I believe the characters that came out of these various authors were merely subconscious projections of people that they had encountered throughout their lifetime.
On the other hand, they could have been imaginative characters that the authors conjured from a childhood in which they were fascinated with that region in particular. It is perfectly plausible that a young boy who was fascinated with the west and cowboys would one day grow up to focus the bulk of his writing on that area of the country and the fascinating people who brought it to life.
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Regionalism is a form of writing that centers around a particular area of the United States (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). Different authors specialized in all varieties of regions. Each region of the country was represented somehow in this genre, such as the West, the South, New England, and areas where immigrants went to live once they had arrived in America. Each of these regions captured a whole different set of unique qualities and characters that made the stories fascinating(Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Most authors in this genre centered around a particular city or county that was important to them in some way (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). For many it was where they grew up or spent most of their lives. In this way they were very familiar with the way things worked in the particular region and were therefore able to make the characters come alive in a way that was very realistic and believable. In fact, the main idea of the entire genre was the more one knew his or her setting, the more believable the characters would become(Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). Because of this I believe the characters that came out of these various authors were merely subconscious projections of people that they had encountered throughout their lifetime.
On the other hand, they could have been imaginative characters that the authors conjured from a childhood in which they were fascinated with that region in particular. It is perfectly plausible that a young boy who was fascinated with the west and cowboys would one day grow up to focus the bulk of his writing on that area of the country and the fascinating people who brought it to life.
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Naturalism Blog
Naturalism is seen as a subset of the genre Realism, because it contains many of the same characteristics yet it can also stand on its own as a genre. It came about sometime in the late nineteenth century, while Realism was developed in the early nineteenth century. These works are sometimes reported to have been started by a French woman, however there were many American authors who also adopted the writing style (Sommers).
Naturalism is a genre based mainly upon the ideas of Charles Darwin (Sommers). Darwin was a scientist who believed that humans were simply highly developed animals with no sense of free will at all. He believed that everything that made up their character had to do with their genetics and the environment that they were raised in. In this way, naturalist writing became almost like a study or a science experiment on what we think of as common animals (Sommers).
Because of these theories, the stories in the Naturalism genre could generally be supposed to follow along the same basic story line. This story line was about a person whose actions are driven by his own compulsions and desires, yet he cannot decide how his destiny will pan out in the end (Sommers).
These stories were written along a basic guideline as far as technique as well (Sommers). Most of the stories were presented as sort of factual, scientific journal entries about how the main character reacts to events in his or her life. In this way the style also resembles almost a case study about a particular animal that we would find today. In these stories the subject, or hero of the story if you will, is placed in an unfamiliar place. The character is then studied and his or her reactions to the place are recorded as if an experiment is being conducted as to how he or she will react to the situation. As previously mentioned, the character acts upon his or her own instincts but is still fated to accept whatever will come to him or her in the long run (Sommers).
Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).
Naturalism is a genre based mainly upon the ideas of Charles Darwin (Sommers). Darwin was a scientist who believed that humans were simply highly developed animals with no sense of free will at all. He believed that everything that made up their character had to do with their genetics and the environment that they were raised in. In this way, naturalist writing became almost like a study or a science experiment on what we think of as common animals (Sommers).
Because of these theories, the stories in the Naturalism genre could generally be supposed to follow along the same basic story line. This story line was about a person whose actions are driven by his own compulsions and desires, yet he cannot decide how his destiny will pan out in the end (Sommers).
These stories were written along a basic guideline as far as technique as well (Sommers). Most of the stories were presented as sort of factual, scientific journal entries about how the main character reacts to events in his or her life. In this way the style also resembles almost a case study about a particular animal that we would find today. In these stories the subject, or hero of the story if you will, is placed in an unfamiliar place. The character is then studied and his or her reactions to the place are recorded as if an experiment is being conducted as to how he or she will react to the situation. As previously mentioned, the character acts upon his or her own instincts but is still fated to accept whatever will come to him or her in the long run (Sommers).
Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).
Realism Blog
Realism is a fascinating genre of literature that first began appearing towards the end of the nineteenth century (Werlock). The development of Realism was a gradual process that was the result of various authors' experimentation with their literature. Mark Twain was one such pioneer in the genre of Realism. He started slowly incorporating aspects of it into his writings, as did Rebecca Harding Davis and Kate Chopin. This was done by slowly infusing principles of what we now know as Realism into a Romantic style of writing. While Romanticism was based more upon a flowery and lovely interpretation of life that appealed to the senses, Realism focused more on cold, hard facts that made things more believable and a more accurate representation of how things really were. By the beginning of the 20th century there were many writers who were writing works that could be classified into the Realism genre(Werlock).
The effects of the end of the Civil War and the rise of Industrialism did a lot to bring about the change in literature from Romanticism to Realism (Barney and Paddock). Writing started to shift more from the typical exotic places and wonderful heroes found in Romanticism towards a more average Joe-type hero that everyone could relate to, and the setting became more of a typical city or town. These stories centered around events that happened near one's own home. The American Dream portrayed in these stories became more about everyday victories that the reader could relate to (Barney and Paddock).
One characteristic of Realism was also its use of atypical narrators (Barney and Paddock). For example, the narrator Huck in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn gave a new spin to literature by using an uneducated, average citizen as a narrator. This lack of a more formal narrator was not common until the advent of Realism, and it helped give a more real feel to the literature that people could relate to (Barney and Paddock).
In all, Realism was an important part of creating the literature that we have today by incorporating facts into the more appealing side of literature.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "realism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
The effects of the end of the Civil War and the rise of Industrialism did a lot to bring about the change in literature from Romanticism to Realism (Barney and Paddock). Writing started to shift more from the typical exotic places and wonderful heroes found in Romanticism towards a more average Joe-type hero that everyone could relate to, and the setting became more of a typical city or town. These stories centered around events that happened near one's own home. The American Dream portrayed in these stories became more about everyday victories that the reader could relate to (Barney and Paddock).
One characteristic of Realism was also its use of atypical narrators (Barney and Paddock). For example, the narrator Huck in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn gave a new spin to literature by using an uneducated, average citizen as a narrator. This lack of a more formal narrator was not common until the advent of Realism, and it helped give a more real feel to the literature that people could relate to (Barney and Paddock).
In all, Realism was an important part of creating the literature that we have today by incorporating facts into the more appealing side of literature.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "realism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
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