Realism Overview

Aesthetic Shift: By the mid-nineteenth century, aesthetic taste transitioned from romantic idealism to realism.
- Writers criticized romantics for their emphasis on the spiritual, abstract, and ideal.
- Realists perceived this romantic approach as idealistic and dishonest about true life experiences.
- They felt an ethical obligation to portray life honestly, arguing that romantic literature often led to escapism.

Historical Influences:
- The Civil War and rapidly changing societal structures due to industrialization influenced realist writers.
- There was a belief among realists that accurately depicting social conditions could contribute to their improvement.
- Increased rates of democracy and literacy, alongside the emergence of a middle class, provided a fertile ground for realism's growth.

Focus on the Ordinary: Realism centers on the everyday lives of average, ordinary people in contemporary settings.
Objective Representation: Realists aim for an objective reproduction of life, avoiding personal interpretations or evaluations of significance.
Descriptive Language: Employs vivid descriptions of sights and sounds, creating meaning through texture rather than direct explanation.
Dialect Usage: Realists often incorporate regional dialects to accurately reflect speech patterns of characters, enhancing authenticity.
Social Reform Motive: Many realist writers were motivated by a desire to instigate social reform through their work.
Flawed Characters: Characters in realist works are depicted as complex, unheroic figures who struggle to remain true to themselves.
Influence of Psychology: Although realism emphasizes external realities, it also acknowledges human psychological complexities.

Allegories are utilized to convey layered meanings using symbolic figures, actions, imagery, or events, illustrating the moral, spiritual, or political messages intended by the author.

Definition: Naturalism is often seen as an even more detailed view of reality than realism itself.
- Naturalist writers posit that human life and fate are dictated by heredity and environmental context rather than free will.
Influence of Nature vs Nurture: Individuals are portrayed as inheritors of traits and instincts, which are influenced by social and economic pressures.

Regionalism: Also known as local color, this literary approach highlights specific dialects and cultural nuances to make broader statements about humanity.
Preservation of Culture: Realist writers often set their narratives in distinct American regions to capture and preserve local characteristics before they fade away.
Narrative Style: These narratives are typically slow-paced and utilize allegory and symbolism to convey deeper meanings.

Definition of Realism: A literary and philosophical movement of the late nineteenth century reacting against Romanticism, focusing on the necessity of verisimilitude to understand human experiences in that era.
Definition of Naturalism: A literary movement employing a scientific approach to stress the impact of instinct and environment on human behavior.
Reflection of Values: Realist and Naturalistic literature embodies the feelings of powerlessness and lack of idealism among ordinary citizens following the Civil War.
Definition of Local Color Realism: Literature that integrates regional dialects and culture to convey universal truths about humanity.

Third Person Omniscient Point of View: A narrator who possesses comprehensive knowledge about the narrative and all characters, providing insights into thoughts, opinions, and observations.
Third Person Limited Point of View: Narration that reveals the thoughts and feelings of only one character while presenting others externally.
Dialect: A language variety distinct in grammar and vocabulary characteristics from other language forms.
Slave Narrative: Autobiographical accounts from enslaved individuals in the Americas, articulating their experiences and perspectives.
Verbal Irony: A contrast where the spoken words signify the opposite of their literal meaning.
Dramatic Irony: A scenario where the audience possesses information that the characters do not.
Situational Irony: The occurrence of an event that is contrary to what was expected or intended.
Picturesque: Aesthetic quality that is visually attractive or charming.
Satire: A rhetorical device using humor, irony, or exaggeration to critique human folly or vice.
Diction: The selection and usage of words and expressions in writing or speech.
Unreliable Narrator: A storyteller whose account cannot be fully trusted due to inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the information provided.
Foil Character: A character juxtaposed with another (often the protagonist) to highlight defining traits of the other character, exemplified by the contrast between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.