The Rise of Realism The Civil War to

The Rise of Realism The Civil War to 1914

The Civil War Multiple Causes • War resulted from decades of sectional conflict. • South produced cash crops for the North. • South depended on North for financial, manufacturing, commercial services. • South relied on nearly 4 million slaves as its labor force. • North valued power of federal government; South believed in states’ rights.

The Civil War New Forms of Warfare • Infantry carried new, more accurate rifles. • Cavalry riders faced certain death attacking infantry. • Toll of frontal and cavalry assaults led to use of trench warfare. • More than 600, 000 soldiers died.

The Civil War End of Slavery • Emancipation Proclamation declared that slaves in Confederate states were free. • Thirteenth Amendment freed all slaves in the U. S. • Even though slaves had been freed, fight for equality was just beginning.

The Civil War Literature • The primary forms of war literature were journals and letters. • None of the prominent writers of the time served in the war. • The horror of war required a new literary form— realism.

The Rise of Realism Realists’ New View of the World • Rejected larger-than-life hero of Romantic literature • Depicted ordinary characters and realistic events • Emphasized characters from cities and lower classes • Avoidance of the exotic, sensational, and overly dramatic • Use of everyday speech patterns to reveal class distinction. • Sought to explain WHY people behave as they do

The Rise of Realism Regionalism Kate Chopin • Emphasized a specific geographic setting • Often sentimental in depictions of characters and locations • Prominent authors: Sarah Orne Jewett, Kate Chopin, Bret Harte, Mark Twain

The Rise of Realism Naturalism Frank Norris • Attempted to analyze human behavior objectively, as a scientist would • Sense that human beings cannot control their own destinies • Believed human behavior determined by heredity and environment • Viewed life as a losing battle against the universe • Prominent authors: William Dean Howells, Frank Norris William Dean Howells

The Rise of Realism Psychological Realism • Focused on character motivation and characters at moments of stress Henry James • Studied complex social and psychological situations • Prominent authors: Henry James, Stephen Crane

Harriet A. Jacobs (1813? -1897) n n n n Jacobs was born into slavery in Edenton, NC She learned how to read and write while serving the house mistress As a teenager, Jacobs was harassed by her second owner, Dr. Norcom – Furious at her refusals, Norcom sent Jacobs to do hard labor at a plantation Jacobs escaped from the plantation and hid in a tiny crawl space above a storeroom for 7 years. 1842 - Jacobs escapes to New York City where she finds work and reunites with her children. 1852 -Jacobs gains her freedom 1853 - Jacobs began writing the story of her life using the pen name Linda Brent. The product was Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Harriet Jacobs