American Realism

"Realism is nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material." - William Dean Howells

The Gilded Cage by Evelyn De Morgan

Write a brief description of the painting.

What is the most dominant image? What is on the periphery? Include discussion of color, medium, and style.

Write a brief analysis of the painting based on your description above. Why does the painter choose to make certain images dominant and others marginal? What might be the significance of the two birds?

Does the painting evoke a certain mood or theme? How? Why?

How might the title of the painting affect the analysis?

What Is Realism?

A faithful representation of reality in literature.

Emphasis on development of believable characters.

Written in natural vernacular, or dialect.

Prominent from 1860-1910

Principles of Realism

1. Insistence upon and defense of "the experienced commonplace".

2. Character more important than plot.

3. Attack upon romanticism and romantic writers.

4. Emphasis upon morality often self-realized and upon an examination of idealism.

5. Concept of realism as a realization of democracy.

Characteristics Of Realistic Writing 1. 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.

2. The subject matter of Realism is drawn from "our experience," - it treated the common, the average, the non-extreme, the representative, the probable.

3. The morality of Realism is intrinsic, integral, relativistic - relations between people and society are explored.

4. 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.

Major Ideologies of Realism Realistic Complexity And Multiplicity

Complexity refers to the interwoven, entangled density of experience

Multiplicity indicates the simultaneous existence of different levels of reality or of many truths, equally "true" from some point of view.

Realistic Characterization

Realists believe that humans control their destinies

Characters act on their environment rather than simply reacting to it. Character is superior to circumstance.

The Use Of Symbolism And Imagery  The Realists generally reject the kind of symbolism suggested by

Emerson when he said "Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact."

Their use of symbolism is controlled and limited; they depend more on the use of images.

Realistic Techniques

1. Settings thoroughly familiar to the writer

2. Plots emphasizing the norm of daily experience

3. Ordinary characters, studied in depth

4. Complete authorial objectivity

5. Responsible morality; a world truly reported

Regionalism

Often called “local color.”

Focuses on characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features specific to a certain region (eg. the South)

Prominent from 1865-1895.

Typical Characteristics of Regionalism Setting: The emphasis is frequently on nature and the

limitations it imposes; settings are frequently remote and inaccessible. The setting is integral to the story and may sometimes

become a character in itself.

Characters: Local color stories tend to be concerned with the character of the district or region rather than with the individual: characters may become character types, sometimes quaint or stereotypical. The characters are marked by their adherence to the old

ways, by dialect, and by particular personality traits central to the region.

In women's local color fiction, the heroines are often unmarried women or young girls.

Narrator: The narrator is typically an educated observer from the world beyond who learns something from the characters while preserving a sometimes sympathetic, sometimes ironic distance from them. The narrator serves as mediator between the rural folk of

the tale and the urban audience to whom the tale is directed.

Plots. It has been said that "nothing happens" in local color stories by women authors, and often very little does happen. Stories may include lots of storytelling and revolve around

the community and its rituals.

Themes: Many local color stories share an antipathy to change and a certain degree of nostalgia for an always-past golden age. A celebration of community and acceptance in the face of

adversity characterizes women's local color fiction.

Thematic tension or conflict between urban ways and old-fashioned rural values is often symbolized by the intrusion of an outsider or interloper who seeks something from the community.