Ksiazek E336. The Romantic movement took place Focused more on the ideal: what government SHOULD look like, how people SHOULD behave, what relationships.

Ksiazek E336

The Romantic movement took place

Focused more on the ideal: what government SHOULD look like, how people SHOULD behave, what relationships SHOULD consist of, etc.

Very optimistic

Took place during the 1860-1900s

A reaction to Romanticism

Based on the names and what you know of the Romantics, what do you predict some of the traits of the realist/naturalist movements might be?

-Character development more important than action and plot

-Characters are believable or life-like

-Tends to focus on the middle class

-Portrayal of real language (i.e. dialect, word choices of the time period, etc.) important

-Events are plausible and are often day-to-day moments as opposed to grand events

-Explores ethical choices and often questions moral authorities

Why might we see realist literature as a valuable contribution to society?

When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples. 

--Stephen Crane, "The Open Boat"

-Characters are usually lower class

-Setting usually urban

-Corresponds to Guilded Age

-Themes: survival, violence

-Nature/universe indifferent to humans

-Free will is an illusion (determinism)

How are realism and naturalism similar? In what important ways do they differ?

Maggie, A Girl of the Streets—Crane

The Jungle—Sinclair

Fast Food Nation—Schlosser

Huckleberry Finn--Twain

http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm

http://vc.ws.edu/engl2420/2001/unit3/intro.htm

http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm

http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm