THE CIVIL WAR (1861-1865) TO 1914

The Rise of Realism

Political and Social Milestones – Historical Overview

The Civil War 1861 – 1865 Divide of the U.S. Over 600,000 soldiers died

More than all wars combined fought by this country at the time

Large number of casualties due to generals’ failure to adapt their tactics in view of the advances that has been made in weapon technology (newer and more accurate rifles)

Eventually, generals had to turn to trench warfare (dug ditches facing one another and shot) – foreshadowing its use in World War I.

Confederate surrender Nothing left (very few men, starving, and broke)

Aftermath South (Confederacy) – economic devastation (farms in ruins) North (Union) – preserved, but held a fragile republic

looking for a future

Political and Social Milestones Historical Overview continued

The End of Slavery Slavery, mixed with states rights, is what divided our

country. Emancipation Proclamation (Lincoln) – freed the

slaves in states that had withdrew from the Union Thirteenth Amendment – formally abolished slavery in

1865

Reactions to the War / End of Slavery

Ralph Waldo Emerson “Sometimes gunpowder smells good.”

Walt Whitman George (Whitman’s brother) wounded in battle

Whitman served as a hospital volunteer, comforting the wounded and writing to their loved ones.

“I am the man, I suffer’d, I was there,” Optimism

Herman Melville Pessimism Poems were often dark and foreboding

Political and Social Milestones – Historical Overview continued

Westward Expansion Homestead Act – 1862 – promised 160 acres of land

free of charge to anyone (including emancipated slaves) who would cultivate it for five years For this reason, people flocked west (hoping to find

fortunes as farmers, ranchers, and/or minors) First transcontinental railroad completed – 1869 Influx of immigrants from Europe (14 million between

1860 and 1890) Indian Appropriation Act of 1871 – nullified all treaties

with the American Indians and forced native people to fight for their ancestral lands.

Political and Social Milestones – Historical Overview continued

Westward Expansion continued Other options besides free land…

Preemption Act - 1841 Settlers could buy 160 acres of land for $1.25 an acre

Timber Culture Act - 1873 Granted 160 acres of prairie land to anyone who would 40

acres (later 10 acres) of trees on the property As people headed west, they passed through the Great Plains

This land was deemed unfit for settlement “Beyond the reach of agriculture, and must always remain a

great uninhabited desert” – General John Pope Many believed people would have to be paid to settle here

However, a few farmers did successfully settle here, and eventually enough “things” moved in and provided it a new image

Literature of the Time

Minimal War Literature Soldier’s letters, diaries, journalistic writing … Why did an event of such magnitude result in a scanty

literary output? Few major Americans writers saw the Civil War firsthand,

unlike other major wars.

Realistic Novel Not yet fully developed, but came about later The Red Badge of Courage

Stephen Crane (born 6 yrs. after the war ended)

Romantic Novel Heroes and heroines of these novels engage in romantic

adventures filled with courageous acts, daring chases, and exciting escapes

Regionalism

Literary Movement - Regionalism Regionalism: Literature that emphasizes a specific

geographic setting and makes use of the speech and manners of the people who live in that region. Strove to be realistic, but often unrealistic (even

sentimental) in their depiction of characters and the social environment

Mark Twain Huckleberry Finn – combines picture of injustices

during Pre-Civil War life and a lyrical portrait of the American landscape

The Realists

Realists - rooted from Regionalism Writers who aimed at loyalty to the common course of

ordinary life (the way ordinary people lived and dressed, and the things they thought, felt and talked about)

Their subjects were drawn from the slums of the rapidly growing cities and factories that were replacing farmlands poor factory workers, corrupt politicians, prostitutes

Not only concerned with recording life unfolding, but also aimed to explain WHY ordinary people behave the way they do Relied on the emerging sciences of human and animal

behavior, mixed with their own insights and observations

Naturalism

A second literary movement - an extension of Realism. Claimed to portray life exactly as if it were being examined

through a scientist’s microscope. Relied heavily on the new fields of psychology and sociology

Dissected human behavior with complete objectivity, the way a scientist would dissect a specimen in a lab.

Believed that human behavior is determined by heredity and environment

Believed that human beings can’t control their own destinies. Looked at life as a losing battle against an uncaring universe. Characters in literature generally have few choices

Summary of movement

This time period (end of the century to approx. 1914) saw a continuation of many 19th century trends, but also early signs of modernism.

Some writers worked to maintain what had already been provided to the world, while others worked to change it.

Regionalism, Naturalism, mixed with remnants of the Civil War dominate American literature of this time period. Realism is the term used to describe the overall time

period and literary movement for this unit. Regionalism (Realists) and Naturalism (Naturalists) stem

from that overall movement.

Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle

Upton Sinclair was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1878 and later became a supporter of the Socialist Party.

The story of The Jungle originated from research that Sinclair was asked to do on the Chicago stockyards / meatpacking plants. He spent 7 weeks examining this area and lifestyle.

Social impact: The Jungle raised a huge outcry of rage against unhealthy standards in the meatpacking industry. This led to the passage of The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.

Sinclair hoped the novel would build support for the Socialist Party and the poor working class, but the focus remained on the poor conditions of the meatpacking plants and tainted beef.

Sinclair attempted to take the success from the novel and transform it into a utopian colony that he built in New Jersey to promote social change. However, it burnt down four months later.

The Jungle

Written in 1905-1906Published in 1906 by Sinclair himself (rejected by many

publishers because they said it was too “shocking”) *He published more than 80 novels after The Jungle Setting: early 1900’s in Packingtown (the meat-packing

area of Chicago, Illinois) Narrator: written from a third-person anonymous point of

view; however, most feel it is Sinclair himself Fiction (but contains factual and historical elements) Plot conflict: pursuit of the American dream ends in

disappointmentSinclair later moved to CA. In 1934, he unsuccessfully

attempted to run for governor of CA to push for an end to poverty.