Realism notes
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1. The document discusses Realism as a literary movement between 1850-1914 in America. 2. Realism focused on depicting ordinary people and everyday life, often in specific American regions like the West, South, and Midwest. Writers aimed to instruct and entertain readers rather than explore spiritual themes. 3. Key principles of Realism included an emphasis on character over plot, morality discovered through self-realization, and the belief that humans control their own destinies rather than simply reacting to external forces. Settings, characters, and stories focused on familiar, everyday experiences.
Realism notes
- 2. The first mappings and surveyings of the West. The rails of the first transcontinental railroad bound East and West. Historical Context: WESTWARD EXPANSION
- 3. The East asked, “What kinds of people leading what kinds of life are at the end of those bands of iron?” The Western regionalists answered: Men and women like yourselves, but dressed differently, speaking differently, with different social ways. fantastic deserts, mile deep canyons, mountains high enough to bear snow the year round, forests with trees as wide as man can stretch and wider, camps where the only currency is gold-dust. Historical Context – Regionalism
- 4. Regionalism: East vs. West, North vs. South East Coast vs. West Coast TOWNS
- 5. East vs. West LANDSCAPE Appalachian vs. Rocky Mountains
- 7. Stories aren’t just being told about life in the East. Writers of the South told of swamps 2. Mid-western authors narrated the tales of the plains The literary map of America began to spread across the country.
- 8. Insistence upon "the experienced commonplace". Character is more important than plot. Attack upon romanticism and romantic writers. Morality is often self-realized. A realization of democracy. Principles Of Realism-WRITE DOWN
- 9. Realism is non-transcendental. Its purpose is to instruct and entertain , rather than to explore spiritual and extraordinary ideas. The subject matter of Realism is drawn from human experience . Relations between people and society are explored. Identifying Characteristic-WRITE DOWN
- 10. Humans control their destinies; characters act on their environment rather than simply reacting to it . Who a character is is more important than what happens to that character. THE CHARACTERS (LIKE THE WORLD) ARE COMPLEX (e.g., NOT ALL GOOD OR ALL BAD)/ Realistic Characterization
- 11. The use of symbolism is controlled and limited; Realists depend more on the use of images. The Use Of Symbolism And Imagery
- 12. Settings thoroughly familiar to the writer Plots emphasizing the norm of daily experience Ordinary characters, studied in depth Responsible morality; a world truly reported Realistic Techniques-WRITE DOWN
Editor's Notes
- #3: In the visual arts and literature, realism is a mid- 19th century movement, which started in France . In response to growing positivism after the French Revolution and greater optimism that humans could understand the world through science, philosophy and the arts, the realists sought to render everyday characters, situations, dilemmas, and events in an " accurate " (or realistic) manner. This is in contrast with the earlier romanticism , in which subjects were treated idealistically . Realists tended to discard theatrical drama and classical forms of art to depict commonplace or 'realistic' themes.
- #4: Questions and Answers from regions
- #8: Writers of the South told of swamps where the cypress grew out the green-scummed water and the moss grew down into it, and of the cities where the obsessive blood-consciousness of its inhabitants testified to the mingling of the races. Mid-western authors narrated the tales of the plains where a man could be lost in the dust or ruined by hailstorm; of cities where where fortunes were made or lost in a day's trading on the beef or grain exchanges. The literary map of America, so long a small corner of light in the east, with a glimmer on the southern coast, began to be totally illuminated.
- #10: The philosophy of Realism is known as "descendental" or non-transcendental. The purpose of writing is to instruct and to entertain. Realists were pragmatic, relativistic, democratic, and experimental. The subject matter of Realism is drawn from "our experience," - it treated the common, the average, the non-extreme, the representative, the probable. The morality of Realism is intrinsic, integral, relativistic - relations between people and society are explored. The style of Realism is the vehicle which carries realistic philosophy, subject matter, and morality. Emphasis is placed upon scenic presentation, de-emphasizing authorial comment and evaluation. There is an objection towards the omniscient point of view.
- #11: Complexity – differing experiences and understandings – maybe even socialization Muliplicity – more than one perspective – we see the same problem from different viewpoints – there is not one “right” way anymore