Realism Senior English Ms. Bloemker
Dec 30, 2015
Where????
• The first Realist writers were from Europe, especially France.
• Realism eventually spread throughout the world and extended into literature and other arts
Why?????What was going on?
• When the Realist movement was taking place, the world was in a time of change and confusion.
• Does anyone have any ideas why this was true?
Industrial Revolution
• While the industrial revolution allowed the middle class to get richer, the working class was underpaid and overworked.
• Laws were eventually passed to make working conditions better, but conditions were still horrendous
Mass Production
• Things that used to be made by hand could now be made much faster and cheaper by machines.
• Can you think of anything that can be made much faster by a machine?
Railroads
• Trains were built across Europe and carried goods from the factories to the cities.
• How would railroads have helped to unite a nation?
Civil War and Reconstruction
• The United States went through a Civil War from 1861 until 1865.
• The war was ended when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves.
• The south was basically destroyed and many newly freed African Americans were trying to find their place in the world.
The Development of Nations
• Nationalism, or the belief that people who share a common culture make up a nation, became popular.
• Ethnic groups began wanting to be seen as a nation and revolts took place.
• In some place, like Germany, this eventually caused dictatorships and world wars.
• Is nationalism popular now?
Imperialism
• To make more money, Europe started looking for new places to get materials from.
• Europeans moved into Africa, dividing it into colonies.
• Europeans also gained some control in Asia and India.
What do you think?
• Taking over another country like this is called Imperialism… How do you think it effects the nations involved?
Reform
• There was also a lot of call for reform, or change, at this time.
• Change was desired in the factories
• Some women organized together in order to obtain the right to vote. This is called suffrage. However, no women were given the right at this time.
Successful Reforms
• Slavery was abolished in England in 1833 and in France in 1848.
• In the United States the slaves were freed in 1863.
• A free public education was granted to most European nations by the late 1800’s and in all of the American States by 1870.
• Do we have reform movements now? Are there any specifically in Kansas City?
Inventions and Breakthroughs
• Electricity and the light bulb were invented.
• The machine gun, photography, x-rays, aspirin, and antiseptics were just a few other inventions.
• A French chemist named Louis Pasteur discovered that bacteria caused disease.
• The automobile and telephone were invented as well, but they did not have their full impact until later in the century.
Can you imagine?
• Can you imagine how these inventions changed people’s everyday lives? What were some ways that life would have changed?
• What do you think were positive things that happened in this time period?
• What about negative?
What?????• The literature that arouse out of
this era was called Realism. It dealt with the accurate, or realistic, portrayal of life in literature.
• Realists wrote in a detached manner. They were observing and recording facts. This is different from the emotional and imaginative Romantics.
• Instead of having elaborate plots, Realists focused on everyday occurrences.
• Because Realists were writing accurate portrayals of life, their works often did not have happy endings.
• Gustave Courbet’s “The Stone Breakers”
Who?????
• Realists wrote about the daily struggles and disappointments of ordinary people.
• The characters in their writings were often peasants, businessmen, or housewives.
• Everyone, even the upper-class characters were portrayed with faults.
• Honore Daumier Painting