civil war disillusionment and realism, presentation
DESCRIPTION
includes: fate vs. free will quote discussion; romanticism vs. realism; types of realism - psychological, regional, natural; Ambrose BierceTRANSCRIPT
Unit 3: Civil War Disillusionment and Realism
Disillusionment in Writing, Civil War to WWI
“There is no such thing as chance; and what seem to us the merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny.”
– Friedrich von Schiller In your Journal, write your reaction to this quote – what does it mean, and what is your response to it?
• “The mould of a man’s fortune is in his own hands.” – Sir Francis Bacon
Respond in the same way to this quote; which do you identify with most? Is there a black and white answer, or are there grey areas?
A. Reflections of Post-Civil War problems
1. diversification of American experience, ethnic and regional2. insistent literary movement to combat social inequities3. diversity of characters, no unified “American” ideal4. formulation of Realism movement
a. aim for truthful representation in literature of realityb. analogies to science, consider the procedure of writing identical to science experiment c. stress on reporting observations, hereditary and natural environmentd. sympathy for heroes drawn from the middle and lower classese. subject is treated objectively, includes evil, sordidf. aim to present readers with a “slice of life”
What do they Value? Where do they discover truth?
Romanticism• Value subjectivity• Truth is in feeling, intuition(what feels right, instincts)• truth accompanied by
powerful emotion, associated with natural beauty
Realism• Value objectivity• Truth is in reason (What we think is right, after
careful deliberation and weighing of consequences)
• aim for truthful representation in literature of reality, includes not only good, but the sordid evil of nature
Where/When are the typical settings?
Romanticism• Exotic, foreign settings• Often in supernatural
realms• Use of legends, folklore• Aimed to rise above “dull
realities”• Extraordinary events
Realism• Specific geographical
settings, everyday world• Use of vernacular language
to show regional associations
• Stress the importance of natural environment
• Aimed to show “slice of life”• Ordinary events
What is their point of view?
Romanticism• Free Will, choice• Goal to aim for human
perfectibility
Realism• Deterministic,
nature/instinct decides• behavior determined by
forces beyond power, control
What kinds of characters do they use?
Romanticism• Unusual protagonists• Often idealistic, god-like• Affect positive change on
environment, see the beauty in nature
Realism• Every day characters• Often lower class• Helpless object caught in
the threshes of nature
What is the tone of their pieces?
Romanticism• Optimistic: emotional
intensity
Realism• Ranges from Optimistic
(Regionalism, Comic) to Pessimistic: emotional coldness
What is their view of nature and the environment?
Romanticism• Positive• Draw moral lessons from
nature• Nature as beautiful, awe-
inspiring• Experience of nature leads
to spiritual understanding
Realism• Indifference• Viewed with scientific
objectivity (as is, emotionless)
• human life a grim losing battle against nature
• often place human illusions in contrast with the indifference of the universe
B. Naturalism
1. represent life scientifically2. concentrate on lower-classes3. behavior determined by forces beyond power,
control (biology, environment) – called social determinism (influenced by Darwin’s Origin of the Species)
4. characters have few choices, animalistic/instinctual
5. human life a grim losing battle against nature
Regionalism
1. emphasis on specific geographical setting2. reflects speech, manners of people in region3. record peculiarities of customs, speech,
temperament4. called “local color”5. meant to document regional distinctions before
industrialism erased it6. usually sentimental; relied on nostalgia to
generate interest
Bret Harte
• published his first work at age 11
• formal schooling ended when he was 13 in 1849
• moved to California in 1853, later working there in a number of capacities, including miner, teacher, messenger, and journalist
• married Anna Griswold on August 11, 1862
Bret Harte
• irst literary efforts, including poetry and prose, appeared in The Californian (literary journal)
• became editor of The Overland Monthly, 1868
• story, ”The Luck of Roaring Camp", appeared in the magazine's second issue, propelling Harte to nationwide fame.
Bret Harte• he and his family traveled back
East, to New York and eventually to Boston, where he contracted with the publisher of The Atlantic Monthly for an annual salary of $10,000 (which was a lot of money at the time)
• His popularity waned, and by the end of 1872 he was without a publishing contract
• spent the next few years struggling to publish, delivering lectures about the gold rush, and selling an advertising jingle to a soap company
Bret Harte
• appointed to the position of United States Consul in Germany and Glasgow
• Continued to write, eventually settled in London
• He died in 1902 of throat cancer
Psychological Realism
1. explore the human minda. concentrate on distinction of motivesb. interest in complex social and psychological situations
2. place characters under stress, pressure3. often place human illusions with indifference
of the universe4. interest in complex moral situations
Psychological Realism: Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?)
1. Backgrounda. born tenth of 13 children to unsuccessful farmerb. lived in log cabin in Ohio, educated through exploring father’s libraryc. joined services and entered battle of Shiloh
i. part of Sherman’s March to the Seaii. severely wounded, cited for bravery many times
d. left army to work at US Mint in San Franciscoe. became editor of the “News Letter”f. became successful as a witty scholar, but not for his fictiong. bored with old age, left to Mexico in 1913 to join its revolution (was never heard from again)
2. Writingsa. attitude of scorn for sentimental illusions humans cling tob. dark vision of life centers on warfare and cruel joke it plays on humanityc. disillusionment with deceit, greed of his timed. most known work “Devil’s Dictionary” 1906 filled with irony
Ambrose Bierce, death unknown.