Much Madness is divinest Sense -

To a discerning Eye -

Much Sense - the starkest Madness -

’Tis the Majority

In this, as all, prevail -

Assent - and you are sane -

Demur - you’re straightway dangerous -

And handled with a Chain -

Three Questions using H.O.T.S.(Examples of Higher Order Questioning)

• Literary- What image did Emily create at the end of the poem and why?

• Thematic – Emily Dickinson believed that society is constantly judging those that do not follow the norm. How does she unfold the theme throughout the poem?

• World Connection- Based on various global issues such America’s dominance in the world, do you think that Emily Dickinson would have changed her message? Why or Why not?

Introduction to the Rise to Realism 1860(Civil War) - 1914

• Response to War– Idealism

• Emerson was quoted, “sometimes gunpowder smells good.”

• Result of War– Disillusionment

• Industrialization– Influx of immigrants – Farms to cities (concentrated in 12 cities)

• Unsanitary• Overcrowding• Difficult working conditions

– “Wage Slavery”

Faith

ful R

epre

sent

atio

n of

Realit

y

Theory Applied

• After the Civil War people began to idealize progress. – Self-made men

• Unethical business tycoons

• Darwin’s theory of evolution and "survival of the fittest" was applied to society.

Romantic Writer’s Perspectives• Walt Whitman

– served as a volunteer in a military hospital and saw first hand the appalling condition of the wounded soldiers.

– Stayed optimistic (strength of character)

• Herman Melville– saw the heroism of the soldiers, but also the

futility of their deaths. – He wrote poems about the war that focus not

on heroism, like Whitman, but on the evil of humanity.

Characteristics of Realism• Rejection of the idealized, larger-than-life

hero of Romantic literature • Ordinary characters from cities and lower

classes dealing with and realistic events • Avoidance of the exotic, sensational, and

overly dramatic • Use of everyday speech patterns to reveal

class distinctions • Focus on the ethical struggles and social

issues of real-life situations

Realism versus NaturalismRealism • Division between good and evil.

– America where people may act foolishly, but where their good qualities win out in the end (“Smiling Realism”).

Elements of Naturalism: • Attempt to analyze human behavior objectively, as a

scientist would • Belief that human behavior is determined by heredity

and environment (out of individuals’ control) • Sense that human beings cannot control their own

destinies

Interesting AuthorsMark Twain• American Regionalist

writer• Attempted to show

reality using the language of specific geographical area

• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Henry James• Naturalist writer• Psychological novelists

concentrated on the motivation of characters, placing them in the midst of complex social and psychological situations.

• The American

• Most appropriate form to handle subject not developed

• No writers to experience

Civil War Novels

--RECAP ---THE RISE OF REALISMI. Responses to the civil war A. Idealism B. DisillusionmentII. The War and Literature A. Accounts of soldier’s experiences B. Major writers either dead or elsewhere C. Most appropriate form—realistic novel not yet fully developed D. For writers of 1860’s—poetry and pamphletsIII. The Rise of Realism A. Romantic novels B. Realists aim for “very minute fidelity” to the common course of ordinary

life. C. Subjects—slums of rapidly growing cities D. Characters—ordinary people, shop girls, poor factory workers, corrupt

politicians, prostitutes, etc.IV. Realism and emerging sciences A. Not just recording life, but asking why things are the way they are B. Use biology, psychology and sociology to try to answer questionsV. Regionalism—literature that emphasizes a specific geographic setting and

that reproduces the speech and manners of people who live in that region.

Class Work/ Home-Fun

• Create a Brochure of the Characteristics of Realism, Regionalism, and Naturalism (found in glossary of literary terms)

• Read pages 517-519 and 522-523

• Create three questions that show your overall understanding of the historical time period. (Questions should be well thought out and mature sounding)