English and

American
Literature -
REALIST
 Gallery Walk Activity

• There are several quotes posted on the board. Find a partner and discuss all quotes.
• Select 1 quote and individually respond to the quote you have selected. ( What ideas does the author
convey?)
• Write your response to the QUOTE which stood out the most to you on the paper provided.
• Stick your response on the appropriate wall underneath the quote you have selected.
• Follow up question: What ideas about do the authors exhibited in the gallery walk convey? What do
they reveal about the “real” conditions during the period of American history?
 REALISM

• THE PERIOD OF AMERICAN LITERATURE FROM THE BEGINNING

OF THE CIVIL WAR (1861) TO THE BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR I
(1914)
• BROADLY DEFINED AS "THE FAITHFUL REPRESENTATION OF
REALITY" OR "VERISIMILITUDE”.
• REACTION TO AND A REJECTION OF ROMANTICISM, WITH ITS
EMPHASIS ON EMOTION, IMAGINATION, AND THE INDIVIDUAL.
 REALISM

• Artists and writers strove for detailed realistic and factual

description.
• This form of literature believes in fidelity to actuality in its
representation.
• Aims to interpret the actualities of any aspect of life, free
from subjective prejudice, idealism, or romantic color.
Emergence of American Realism

• the United States experienced huge industrial, economic,

social and cultural change.
• the country's immigrant population and working base grew.
• People left rural homes for opportunities in urban cities.
• the U.S. economy became more focused on factory production
Emergence of American Realism

• The writing during this period was very regional.

• American realists built their plots and characters around
people's ordinary, everyday lives.
• Their works contained regional dialects and extensive
dialogue which connected well with the public
General Characteristics of
Realism
 Transparent Language

• Used ordinary language in writing

• The use of symbolism is controlled and limited

Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was

revolutionary in its use of ordinary, spoken language—
including slang and ungrammatical usages—in the
narration of a tale.
 Verisimilitude

• Great emphasis on truth and reality

• Attention to specific facts and details adds to the sense
of verisimilitude in the fictional works.

Leo Tolstoy creates verisimilitude when writing about

warfare and battlefields in War and Peace .
 Genre

• Novel is the genre most closely associated with the rise

of Realism as a movement.
• Realistic novels avoid the sensational, dramatic elements
of naturalistic novels and romances.

In Tolstoy's gigantic novel War and Peace, there are over

500 different characters.
 Quotidian

• Literature reflects the true, daily reality of life.

Gustave Flaubert's heroine Emma Bovary reflecting on

how dull daily life (from Madame Bovary)
 Character

• Placed an emphasis on characters

• Realists often starts with analyzing the psychological
reality of individual people.
•  Character, not plot, is the essence of Realism.
 Social Critique

• Realist writers are all about critiquing the social and

political conditions of the worlds they write about 

•Authors like Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, and Honoré

de Balzac, depicted economic and social inequalities in
their novels as a way of raising awareness about the
plight of poor people or about the inequalities that
affect women.
 Class

• Class and society are prevalent themes

• Explores everyday lives of middle class and sometimes lower
class.

Leo Tolstoy delving into the nuances of class etiquette in 

Anna Karenina.
Realistic Techniques

• Settings thoroughly familiar to the writer

• Plots emphasizing the norm of daily experience
• Ordinary characters, studied in depth
• Complete authorial objectivity
• Responsible morality; a world truly reported
Literary writers and their works
Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) (1835-1910)

• Was the first realistic American author.

• Author of famous works like Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn.
• His famous pen name “Mark Twain” means it is safe to sail because
the water’s depth is 2 fathoms, or 12 feet. It came from his experience
as a licensed river pilot.
• Had an interesting and diverse literary career. He wrote a total of 28
books along with essays, articles, and short stories.
• Received two awards in his lifetime: an honorary doctorate from Yale
University in 1901 and an honorary doctorate from Oxford University
in 1907
THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY
FINN SYNOPSIS
THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY
FINN SYNOPSIS
Literary writers and their works

William Dean Howells (1837-1920)

• Was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and

playwright
• Was nicknamed “The Dean of American Letters”.
• Published his first novel “Their Wedding Journey” in 1872.
• His literary reputation soared with the realist novel “A Modern
Instance” in 1882.
• The Rise of Silas Lapham in 1885 became his best known
work.
• He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of The
Atlantic Monthly, including the Christmas story “Christmas
Every Day”.
• In 1858 he began to work at the Ohio State Journal where he
wrote poetry and short stories and translated pieces from
French, Spanish and German.
THE RISE OF SILAS LAPHAM SYNOPSIS
THE RISE OF SILAS LAPHAM SYNOPSIS
Literary writers and their works
Rebecca Harding Davis (1831-1910)
• Graduated valedictorian from Washington Female Seminary in
Pennsylvania.
• Was an American author and journalist. She was a pioneer of literary
realism in American literature
• One of her major work "Life in the Iron Mills" was published in the
April 1861 Atlantic Monthly
• As a prolific writer, Rebecca Harding Davis is credited with over 500
published works.
• Recurring themes in her works are the social and political issues of
the 19th century: The American Civil War, Race, Regionalism, The
Working Class and Women.
The Life in the Iron Mills Synopsis)
(The Life in the Iron Mills Synopsis)
The Life in the Iron Mills Synopsis
The Life in the Iron Mills Synopsis
The Life in the Iron Mills Synopsis
Literary writers and their works
Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850),

• was the first writer to use fiction to convey the total social
scene prevailing within one country at a particular period in its
history.
• Commonly regarded as the founder of social realism, he also
had affinities with the romantics
• produced a vast number of novels and short stories
collectively called La Comédie humaine (The Human
Comedy).
• Two works of 1829 brought Balzac to the brink of success, Les
Chouans and La Physiologie du mariage (The Physiology of
Marriage)
• Among his most successful works were La Duchesse de
Langeais, Eugenie Grandet, and Pere Goriot
(PERE GORIOT SYNOPSIS)
(PERE GORIOT SYNOPSIS)
(PERE GORIOT SYNOPSIS)
(PERE GORIOT SYNOPSIS)
(PERE GORIOT SYNOPSIS)
(PERE GORIOT SYNOPSIS)
(PERE GORIOT SYNOPSIS)
Literary writers and their works

Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880)

• French novelist of the realist period, is known best for his
sensational Madame Bovary (1857), a classic tale of romance and
retribution.
• Was born in Rouen which is located in Upper Normandy.
• Flaubert had a long relationship with poet Louise Colet, they wrote
often and his letters still survived.
• In September 1849, Flaubert completed the first version of a novel,
The Temptation of Saint Anthony.
• He was a perfectionist when it came to writing, and could spend
weeks on a single page.
• Flaubert was regarded as a genius and the most influential French
Realist.
(MADAME BOVARY SYNOPSIS)
(MADAME BOVARY SYNOPSIS))
Activity