Realism,Naturalism,RegionalismAmerica from 1865 to 1910

Why are these pictures “realist” to you?

Letter from an Immigrant to his Family

Woodtown,

April 26, 1891

Dearly Beloved Parents,

I take my pen to tell you the good news. I am safe and sound, thank God. I received your letter on the 24th of the

month, in which I learned that my sister Marianna wants to come to me here. Well, it is good sailing time now.

She should have at least 80 rubles. She will get a job here as a domestic for which she will be paid 8 dollars, 10

dollars, 17 dollars a month. If she will be able to understand everything that is said, she will be paid more. If she

were here now, she would be getting the same pay as she does now working for the Germans. . . .

Letter from an Immigrant to his Family

Dear Sister, do be careful on the streets [on the way]. When you arrive at Castle Garden telegraph me. Stay in Castle

Garden until I come and fetch you. When you get here, you will not be digging for potatoes or pitching hay.

When you are ready to leave, travel to Bremen. There, buy yourself a steamship ticket. In Torun, sit only in the back [of

the train]. You must have at least 25 marks to pay for the train and for the food. From Torun to Hamburg,, the train

costs 13 marks 73 pfennig, but I do not know how much it will cost to Bremen. If sister does come here, I have made

up my mind to stay here two more years.

Johann Bonkowski to his family in Poland

Newspaper Articles -- Late 1800’s"The Real Zangwill." Ainslee's 2 (November): 351-57. Reprinted: D77-1; D85-1.

From “The Real Zangwill” by Theodore DreiserFirst published in the 1890’s

Newspaper Articles -- Late 1800’sThe scene was sickening and disgusting to me, but empty stomachs stand not on

ceremony, so I turned around and was just about to accost the proprietor, when Biff! I felt a stinging whack between my shoulders. Quickly I faced about, all the risibility of my red headed nature coming to the surface, and there I saw a big handsome chap standing in front of me. Six feet tall, broad-shouldered, straight, lithe limbs, denoting Herculean strength, a massive head poised on a well shaped neck, two cold blue eyes, and a face covered by a bushy brown beard; dressed in well fitting clothes, trousers tucked in the tops of shiny black boots, long Prince Albert coat and a broad sombrero set rakishly on one side of his head. Such was the man who hit me in the back.

"Hello, youngster, what's your name?"

From “Bill Bradley, Gambler and Gentleman” by John A. Hill and Jasper Ewing Brady First published in 1898

Letter-Writing Activity:Writing “faithfully”

PRETEND you are writing a letter to a distant friend or family member about your day today. Try to “faithfully” communicate what happened today by ONLY writing about what you saw, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted.

● Write at least five sentences.● Be as accurate as you can when describing your day.● DUE tomorrow!

History Surrounding the Movement● The years following the Civil War symbolized a time of

healing and rebuilding.

● In literary circles, however, this time period is full of conflict.o A literary civil war raged between the Romantics,

the Realists, and the Naturalists.

History Surrounding the Movement

● The Industrial Revolution took place at the end of the 19th century and changed the country in many ways. o With new machinery and equipment, the economy

focused on factories. Farming was no longer relied on so heavily.

o People left the country and went to the city to live.

● The immigration boom occurred. People worldwide flocked to America.

Literary Disagreement● The primary difference between the movements

(Romantics, Realists, and Naturalists) was in the way that the writers presented fictional characters in relation to their external world.o Using plot and character development, a writer stated

his/her philosophy about how much control mankind has over his/her destiny.

American Realism vs. American Naturalism

● American realists believed that humanity’s freedom of choice was limited by the power of outside forces.

● A person has choices and some free will, but the environment and other people can hamper those choices.

● American naturalists supported the determinism movement.

● They argued that individuals have no choice because a person’s life was dictated by heredity and the external environment.

Another Way to look at the Differences

HOW THE MOVEMENTS PORTRAYED THEIR CHARACTERS:

● Romantics – a god

● Realists – just a person

● Naturalists – a helpless object

Regionalism● The writing in this movement was regional (obviously),

emphasizing specific geographic settings and made use of the speech and manners of the people that live in that region.

● In the face of modernization, people feared the loss of traditions and folk ways, so writers set their stories in specific American regions.

Characteristics of the Realist Era● Realists, and the majority of writers during this era, built their plots and

characters on ordinary, everyday lives. o They clearly and straightforwardly communicated the

complexities of the human experience in that way.

● Often realist writers draw on physical or concrete details to paint the most “faithful” picture of reality.

● Writers drew on the grim realities of life, the breakdown of traditional values, and the growing plight of the new urban poor.o Essentially the human struggle to make something of yourself in an

merciless world.

Characteristics of the Realist Era

Realism Journal Project● Journal from Tuesday 2-10-15 through Thursday 2-12-15 (3 days). The

journal and Reflection will BE TURNED IN ON FRIDAY 2-13-15!!

● Each day in the journal must have AT LEAST 3 ENTRIES: 2 about events in your life; 1 about an event you witness in someone’s else life.

● Each entry must be AT LEAST 5 SENTENCES.

● Be as “faithful” and objective in your entries as possible. ASK: What did I see, smell, hear, touch, or taste?

Realism Journal ProjectOn Thursday night, you will write a Reflection and ASK:

Was it difficult or easy to write “faithfully” about the reality around me? Why?

Do I think my final journal represents truth? Why or why not?