REALISM AND NATURALISM IN LITERATURE

WHAT IS REALISM?

Began after the Civil War when literacy was on the rise in the middle class

Represented the present time in history

Addressed industrialization, immigration and social and political changes in society

REALISM CHARACTERISTICS

Characters are center-stage over action and

are forced to make life changing decisions

Depicts realty closely and in detail

Events are plausible and diction is natural

REALISM AUTHORS

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)• Wrote “A Curious Experience” and

“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”

• Was fascinated by science and technology

• Writing focused on societal vanities, hypocrisies and acts of mankind

REALISM AUTHORS

Henry James Wrote “The Art of Non-Fiction” and

“The Story of a Year”

Wrote from character’s point of view

Explored issues related to consciousness and perception

WHAT IS NATURALISM

Began in 1880 and was influenced by

Darwin’s theory of evolution

Focuses on human experience and their

reactions to their surroundings

Depict everyday experiences

NATURALISM CHARACTERISTICS

Settings often take place in urban areas or

poor small towns

Characters are likely uneducated or

impoverished

Themes include survival, determination,

violence and taboo

NATURALISM AUTHORS

William Faulkner Wrote “A Rose for Emily” and “As I

Lay Dying”

Wrote highly emotional, complex and often grotesque stories

Characters included slaves, former slaves, working class Southerners and wealthy Southerners

NATURALISM AUTHORS

Ernest Hemingway Wrote “Farewell to Arms” and

“The Sun Also Rises”

Famous for writing in a spare, tight prose

Believed that writing about one thing while omitting another would still connect the reader the underlying connection

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Schuster, Marc (2013). Get Real: An Introduction to Realism in American Literature. (February 26, 2013) retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTCjHZWmgG0

Campbell, Donna (2013). Naturalism in American Literature. Retrieved from: http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm

N.A. (2015.). Difference Between Realism and Naturalism. Retrieved from: http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-realism-and-vs-naturalism/