Realism, Regionalism, & Naturalism Study Guide

“My Bondage and My Freedom” by Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass (1817-1895)

Douglass Significance 

• Frederick Douglass rose out of slavery to become one of the most gifted writers and orators of his time 

• He used his talents to fight for the abolition of slavery and civil rights 

  • Always fought for civil rights (never stopped)

Douglass Background

• Douglass was born on a Maryland plantation

• He was separated from his birth mother as an infant (common practice at the time)

• At the age of eight, he was sent as a salve to the Baltimore home of the Auld family 

• He learned to read/write; learning become an unquenchable thirst along with his desire for freedom

• At the age of 20, he escaped to Massachusetts (a free state) and changed his surname to Douglass to avoid arrest as a fugitive 

• He become a consultant for President Lincoln and held several government positions including US minister to Haiti

  • Became close to Lincoln 

Douglass Public Life

• In 1841, despite fear of being arrested, Douglass lectured against slavery and for civil rights 

• Rumors spread that a man with such eloquence could not have possibly been a slave

From My Bondage and My Freedom

• Empathizing with his mistress as she had to force herself to change her nature;

• He would bring bread into town as a payment to young boys is they would teach him what they are learning in school

“Ain’t I A Woman” by Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth (1997-1883)

Sojourner Truth Background

• She was known as being one of the first AA women who went to court against a white man and WON

• Once the Civil War ended in 1865, she continued to battle the effects of slavery (discrimination and racism)

• She was also an advocate for women’s rights and for workplace/prison reform 

• Intersexalism = combining 2 concepts together (racism and sexism, for example)

“The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln

• 1809-1865

• Served as the president during the most tragic time in US history

• Born into a family of humble means 

• He worked on the family farm and had limited opportunity to be formally educated 

• He was an avid reader (not formally educated)

• Served in the Illinois state legislature 

• He earned a reputation for fighting for emancipation

  • Emancipation: freeing someone from the control of another

The Gettysburg Address

• On November 19, 1863

• The battle of Gettysburg fought in July 1863

• 51,000 soldiers injured in battle

• Only supposed to make a few “appropriate remarks” 

• Lead 15,000 American citizens attending the dedication through an emotional rite of passage

• Gettysburg battlefield was a national cemetery 

• 272 words

• Democratic principles → uniting North & South, abolishing slavery, remind people of principles created by founding fathers

“Episode of War” by Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane (1871-1900)

Background

• Author of “An Episode of War”

• During his brief life, Crane established himself as both a leader of the Naturalist movement and one of the greatest writers of his time

• He viewed war firsthand when he served as a newspaper correspondent during the Greco Turkish War in 1897 and the Spanish-American War in 1898 

Naturalism

• A literary movement that developed in reaction to Romanticism. The horrors of the Civil War caused many American writers to question Romantic ideals about human goodness and nature’s beauty. 

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

by Ambrose Bierce

Point of View 

• Point of View: the perspective or vantage point from which the story is told. An author's point of view affects every aspect of a story

• Omniscient point of view: narrator is an observer who can relate everything that happens, as well as private thoughts and feelings of the characters

• Limited third person point of view: readers’ information is limited to what a single character feels, thinks, and observes

• Stream of consciousness: a technique in which a character's thoughts are presented as the mind experiences them (short bursts without obvious logic)

Ambrose Bierce

• 1842-1914

• Worldview was shaped by his career as a Union officer in the Civil War. Brutality he saw during the war made him cynical. He was known as “Bitter Bierce” for writing about cruelty and death

• He fought many battles, went from private to lieutenant, and won many awards for bravery. He was seriously wounded but returned to battle a few months later

  • He actually hated war (dehumanizing)

“To Build a Fire”

by Jack London

Jack London Background

• He traveled to the Alaskan Yukon to search for gold

• He learned about human obsession with wealth and about nature 

• He was unsuccessful in finding gold and returned back to California where he was determined to live as a writer

Literary Analysis

• Internal Conflict vs. External Conflict

• Setting

• Irony

• Dramatic Irony- readers are aware of what’s happening, but the characters in the story do not

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin 

• 1850-1904

• She becomes a self-sufficient widow who takes over her husband’s grocery store business

• She writes controversial stories about women independence and gender equality

• Published in 1894 → the year after women were granted the right to vote in a US

Types of Irony

• Dramatic Irony: when the reader is aware of something that the character does not know

• Verbal Irony: when someone says something that contradicts what she or he means

• Situational Irony: occurs when something happens that contradicts the reader’s expectations

The Story of an Hour

• Mrs. Mallard was devastated by his death, but recognizes the truth (different because most women are in denial)

• Husband’s death → first signal of independence 

• Sees open window → new spring life

Realism

aims to portray life accurately and without idealization, focusing on everyday situations and ordinary people.

Regionalism

 is a form of realism that emphasizes a particular geographic region and its culture, including dialect, customs, and traditions.

Naturalism

builds upon realism by suggesting that human lives are determined by forces beyond individual control, such as heredity, environment, and social conditions.

Point of View Types: 

• Point of View: the perspective or vantage point from which the story is told. An author's point of view affects every aspect of a story

• Omniscient point of view: narrator is an observer who can relate everything that happens, as well as private thoughts and feelings of the characters

• Limited third person point of view: readers’ information is limited to what a single character feels, thinks, and observes

• Stream of consciousness: a technique in which a character's thoughts are presented as the mind experiences them (short bursts without obvious logic)

Tone

•  overall vibe or emotional mood of a piece of writing

Autobiography

a person’s account of his or her life 

Narrative Poetry

 tells a story and has the same literary elements as works of prose fiction. Ballads and epic poems are examples.

Incongruity

• means something that is out of place, unsuitable, or doesn't fit logically with its surroundings or context

Irony (types): 

• Verbal Irony: when a person says one thing but means the opposite

• Situational Irony: when the opposite of what is expected happens

• Dramatic Irony: when the audience knows something that characters do not