Assignment #6
Realism and Regionalism—‘Keeping it Real’
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‘Defined as the faithful representation of reality or
‘verisimilitude,' (Hannah—say that word!), realism is a literary technique practiced by many schools of writing.
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Although, realism is a technique, it also refers to a particular kind of
subject matter, especially the representation of middle-class life. A reaction against romanticism, an
interest in scientific method, the systemized organization of the study of
documentary history, and the influence of rational philosophy all affected the rise of realism.
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According to William Harmon and Hugh
Holman,
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"Where romanticists transcend the immediate to find the ideal, and naturalists plumb the actual or superficial to find the scientific laws that control its actions, realists center their attention to a remarkable degree on
the immediate, the here and now, the specific action, and the verifiable
consequence”.
(A Handbook to Literature 428).’
Influences
‘The novels of
the realists were heavily influenced by journalistic techniques, such as objectivity and
‘fidelity’ to facts. Many of the
better known novelists of the
time held occupations in the
publishing industry in tandem
with their literary endeavors.
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The idea of novel-writing as a
“report” grew out of this marriage between literature and
journalism.
Realism has been likened to an early form of docudrama, in which fictional persons and events are intended to seamlessly reproduce the real
world.
The Victorian Period saw growing concern with the
plight of the less fortunate in society, and the realistic
novel likewise turned its attention on subjects that
would not have previously warranted notice.
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This delicate balancing act practiced by the upwardly
mobile middle class in order to retain position was responded to by the birth of a sub-genre of Realism
called Social Realism.’
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View the following brief videos on Realism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cump0Nxteb4
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http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-literary-realism-movement-a-response-to-romanticism.html
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‘Oh, those Fabulous James Boys’
https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199503/oh-those-fabulous-james-boys
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Connections to the field of Psychology
Advances in the field of human psychology also contributed to the realist’s preoccupation with representing the inner workings of the mind, and the spectrum of
human emotion.
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William James, brother of novelist
Henry James, was a dominant figure
in the early history of human psychology and it is presumed that the
brothers’ conversations were influential in Henry’s literary development.
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Psychologists were just beginning to
understand that human consciousness
and that the mind was far more complicated than had previously been
considered.
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Debates about nature versus nurture
were as popular then as they are today, espousing the notion there are
very few absolutes in realism.’
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“Realism
embraced the concept that people were neither
completely good or completely bad, but somewhere along a spectrum.”
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Realism’s Emphasis upon Character
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The literary form of realism pays special heed to detail in attempts to
replicate reality in a way not previously attempted by authors of the
time.
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There is the belief that the novel’s function
is simply to report what happens, without
comment or judgment.
The characters that these realistic school of
novelists produced were some of the most
famous in literary history, from James’s
Daisy Miller to
Dostoyevsky’s
Raskolnikov*.
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Their characters are
psychologically complicated, multifaceted, and
are endeared with motivations and desire that closely
replicate the daily tribulations of being human.
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Activity: *Watch the 1974
movie, Daisy Miller, based upon James’s novel
(starring Cybil Shepard) and 1998 Patrick
Dempsey in Dostoyevsky’s, Crime and Punishment.
The overriding concern of all realistic fiction is with character.
Specifically, novelists struggled to create intricate and layered characters, attempting to present them as flesh and blood creatures.
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Major Characteristics of Realism:
• Emphasis on the psychological, detailed practicality, slow-moving
plot
• Rounded, dynamic characters
• Characters dictate plot; ending usually left open
• Plot=circumstance
• Realists show rather than tell
• Events are plausible
• Highlights the commonplace
• Emphasis upon intrinsic morality
• Humans are in control of their own destiny
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Important American and
European/International Realists:
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Henry James
Rebecca Harding Davis
Sarah Orne Jewett
Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain
William Dean Howells
Ambrose Bierce
Gustave Flaubert (French)
Guy de Maupassant (French)
Anton Chekhov (Russian)
George Eliot (English)
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Additional Activities in Realism
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Henry James
Read about him:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americannovel/timeline/james.html
http://www.online-literature.com/henry_james/
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View one of his following novels in movie format:
What Maisie Knew, The Portrait of a Lady, or The Innocents
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Sarah Orne Jewett
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Stroll through Sarah’s home in Berwick
Maine
http://www.historicnewengland.org/historicproperties/homes/sarah-orne-jewett-house/photographic-tour
Read a letter written to her by poet Whittier
http://www.public.coe.edu/~theller/soj/let2soj/whittier.html
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or read another of her diary entries
http://americanliterature.com/author/sarah-orne-jewett/bio-booksstories
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‘Samuel
Clemens [aka Mark Twain)
was known to have given birth to ‘local
color’—regionalism.
Writing under the pen name Mark Twain,
he was known for his faithful reproduction of vernacular speech patterns and vocabulary. Twain was an innovator in focusing on middle and lower class characters. Previously, novels had concentrated
on the experiences of the elite.
Presumably, the upper crust enjoyed seeing their lives of privilege reflected back to
them in art, while salt of the earth readers had something to aspire to and fantasize
about. It was a revolutionary concept to incorporate unremarkable characters
into an art form as serious as the novel.
In a development that continues to bewilder, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
is one of the most frequently banned books in the public school system. While not
offensive by today’s standards, Twain merely represents customary speech of the
time and place. In addition, Huck Finn represented an unprecedented leap forward
in racial awareness while Jim, the freed slave, is as fully realized a character as
Tom or Huck.’
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Visit the Mark Twain House
https://www.marktwainhouse.org/man/biography_main.php
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More info on Mark Twain
http://www.cmgww.com/historic/twain/about/bio.htm
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A great friend of Mark
Twain, and an important
American
realist in
a related
discipline, was the magazine editor William Dean Howells. In charge of the Atlantic Monthly for several
years, he was instrumental in promoting the fame of
literary rising stars, such as Frank Norris, Stephen
Crane, and Sarah Orne Jewett. Howells wrote countless volumes of fiction of his own, and was an unqualified success in that realm.
Howell was once considered to be the most accomplished of all American Realists. Although that reputation has faded, Howells’s work as an editor continues to be hailed as his most important contribution.
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For more information on Howell
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americannovel/timeline/howells.html
Ambrose Bierce’s famous short story,
‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’ reflects the characteristics of the Realism Literary
Movement.
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Read more about Ambrose Bierce here:
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http://www.biography.com/people/ambrosebierce-9212162
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http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/ambrosebierce
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Read the Short Story
http://compositionawebb.pbworks.com/f/owl.pdf
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Watch the Video
http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi1071425305
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Guy de Maupassant, considered a ‘High-Realist,' is also considered on
of the fathers of the American Short Story. He wrote stories with
clever plots and twists and served as a role model for future
writers, such as Somerset Maugham and O. Henry.
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One of his most famous short stories is ‘The Necklace’.
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Read the story and then watch the animated video.
http://americanliterature.com/author/guy-de-maupassant/
short-story/the-necklace
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TigBGofARQw
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Literary movements often overlap and some authors fall into a number of different
categories. Just as Mark Twain is also known as a ‘regionalist’ Kate Chopin and
Edith Wharton are recognized not only as ‘Realists’ but also as proponents of other
movements as well. *We will be discussing ‘Regionalism’ and ‘Naturalism’ in
more detail in the next assignment.
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Kate Chopin
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Kate Chopin was actually part of a several different major literary movements.
Not only did she belong to the Realism Movement but she
is also associated with Regionalism, Naturalism and the
Women’s movement. We will be dealing with some other
‘Regionalists’ and ‘Naturalists’ in the next assignment.
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‘Kate Chopin, [1851-1904], was an American novelist
and short story writer. She was the first American female
novelist to write frankly about women's feelings toward
their roles as wives and mothers. Chopin's best-known
novel, THE AWAKENING (1899), deals with a woman
who is dissatisfied with her passionless husband. The
woman gradually gives in to her strong desires for other
men and commits adultery. The novel focuses on the restrictions that social and religious institutions of the late
1800s placed on women.’
Read one of Chopin’s short stories at http://www.katechopin.org.
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Edith Wharton
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Edith Wharton was considered both a Realist and a Naturalist.
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Read more about her at this site
http://www.biography.com/people/edithwharton-9528669
Read one of her short stories at this site
http://americanliterature.com/author/edithwharton/bio-books-stories
Visit her Lenox Massachusetts home at
http://www.edithwharton.org
Watch the movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder.