English Writing styles

Transcendentalism

Begins and ends with The Individual. All power is held by the individual, who can rely on his/her own experiences and thoughts as true guidance.

Transcendentalism

Instead of always heeding government-initiated laws, individuals should follow their own inner 'higher law' of morality.

Transcendentalism

Individuals should find better ways of living in communities and among the rest of humanity, participating in social reforms like women’s rights and the antislavery movement.

Transcendentalism

Encourages utopian communities, where everyone works for the greater good of the whole group.

Transcendentalism

Advocates for going out into nature and thinking for oneself.

Transcendentalism

Promotes self-reliance and an optimistic perspective of life.

Realism

Character is more important than action and plot; often complex ethical choices are the subject.

Realism

Characters appear in the real complexity of temperament and motive, having unexplainable relations to nature, each other, their social class, and their past.

Realism

Humans control their destinies; characters act on their environment rather than simply reacting to it.

Realism

Renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail, emphasizing locale even at the expense of a well-made plot.

Realism

Events are usually plausible; avoids the sensational and dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances.

Realism

Class is important; the novel has traditionally served the interests of an insurgent middle class.

Naturalism

Studies human society and the lives of mankind with 'scientific objectivity'.

Naturalism

The subject matter often involves social problems or vices, with characters representing weaknesses in mankind.

Naturalism

The author presents characters without attempting to judge their actions, allowing readers to make their own decisions.

Naturalism

Tends to look at the negative side of mankind, sometimes dealing with class struggles.

Naturalism

Often referred to as 'survival of the fittest,' based on Darwin’s ideas.

Naturalism

Emile Zola is the founder of the movement.

Modernism

A trend of thought affirming the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape their environment.

Modernism

Emphasizes the use of scientific knowledge, technology, and practical experimentation.

Modernism

Characterized by a progressive and optimistic outlook.

Modernism

Political, cultural, and artistic movements rooted in changes in Western society at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

Modernism

Aims to find what is 'holding back' progress.