REALISM AND NATURALISM IN LITERATURE
WHAT IS REALISM?
Began after the Civil War when literacy was on the rise in the middle class
Represented the present time in history
Addressed industrialization, immigration and social and political changes in society
REALISM CHARACTERISTICS
Characters are center-stage over action and
are forced to make life changing decisions
Depicts realty closely and in detail
Events are plausible and diction is natural
REALISM AUTHORS
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)• Wrote “A Curious Experience” and
“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”
• Was fascinated by science and technology
• Writing focused on societal vanities, hypocrisies and acts of mankind
REALISM AUTHORS
Henry James Wrote “The Art of Non-Fiction” and
“The Story of a Year”
Wrote from character’s point of view
Explored issues related to consciousness and perception
WHAT IS NATURALISM
Began in 1880 and was influenced by
Darwin’s theory of evolution
Focuses on human experience and their
reactions to their surroundings
Depict everyday experiences
NATURALISM CHARACTERISTICS
Settings often take place in urban areas or
poor small towns
Characters are likely uneducated or
impoverished
Themes include survival, determination,
violence and taboo
NATURALISM AUTHORS
William Faulkner Wrote “A Rose for Emily” and “As I
Lay Dying”
Wrote highly emotional, complex and often grotesque stories
Characters included slaves, former slaves, working class Southerners and wealthy Southerners
NATURALISM AUTHORS
Ernest Hemingway Wrote “Farewell to Arms” and
“The Sun Also Rises”
Famous for writing in a spare, tight prose
Believed that writing about one thing while omitting another would still connect the reader the underlying connection
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Schuster, Marc (2013). Get Real: An Introduction to Realism in American Literature. (February 26, 2013) retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTCjHZWmgG0
Campbell, Donna (2013). Naturalism in American Literature. Retrieved from: http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
N.A. (2015.). Difference Between Realism and Naturalism. Retrieved from: http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-realism-and-vs-naturalism/