REALISM (1865-1910)
Realism became the ”mainstream” of American literature as a reaction to the devastations of the
Civil War (1861-1865). Symbolism, allegorical and sensational writing were largely rejected; and
preference was given to depicting life (ordinary, contemporary) as it really was. Yet, the society
was not to be presented as more ’ugly’ than it was.
Transformations: a growing number of immigrants; a growing number of people settling in the
west; rapid industrial development -> materialism, capitalism -> unethical treatment of workers,
class inequalities;
Realism vs Romanticism
• materialism rather than idealism;
• contemporary matters rather than delving in the past;
• focus on the way the environment shapes the individual;
• regions described, local colours highlighted; here and now rather than universal or
allegorical settings;
Mark Twain
His writing style was based on authentic American colloquial speech. He combined adventure,
realism, frontier humor and local colour – attempted to create a picture of the entire nation. Over
time he grew disillusioned – depicted the corruptive influence of wealth over American morality.
His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
(1884)
Henry James
He may be considered a transitional writer -> between literary realism and literary modernism –
He was an observer of the mind, not a recorder of the times and society -> psychological realism.
What matters in his texts is how the characters’ minds respond to the events of the story; the
changing consciousness of the character is the story. He had a great impact on European
modernism-> ‘stream-of-consciousness’.
His typical theme: American ‘innocence’ vs. European ‘experience’;
The Ambassadors (1903): a middle-aged American travels to Paris in order to ‘save’ his friend’s
son from European influences he considers to be destructive; however, gradually he changes his
views of Europe.
NATURALISM (1890s-1910s)
Over time more and more realists turned to naturalism -> extreme realism, illustrating the more
pessimistic aspects of human life -> we have no free will, we are governed by natural laws
(instincts, survival, determinism).
In studying human life they used the discoveries and knowledge of modern science -> Darwin’s
theory of evolution, Spencer’s theory of ‘the survival of the fittest.’
They were also influenced by the Industrial Revolution (growing social inequalities) –> self-
reservation as the driving force of human existence.
Naturalists typically set their stories against the background of social problems (industrialism,
capitalism, financial exploitation, inequalities). Their characters were mostly from lower classes,
poor and uneducated, determined by external controlling forces, deprived of the sense of free will
–> the ideal of the American Dream questioned.
Jack London
A poor, self-taught worker who became the highest paid writer in the United States of his time. He
led an adventurous life but died young. He was influenced by Darwin’s and Spencer’s philosophies
of the laws of nature. His novels involve The Call of the Wild (1903) and
Martin Eden (1909) -> semi-autobiographical novel; an ‘unsuccess story’ –> a writer struggles to
achieve success, becomes rich and well-known but socially alienated, loses faith in human nature,
ultimately fails and commits suicide.
John Steinbeck
He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. His characters struggle with injustice, norms imposed
by the society, the evils of Capitalism and their own urges.
Of Mice and Men (1937): a story of two farm workers searching for their own identity and
happiness; the characters are driven by fear, hunger, violence, sex, as well as the evils of
Capitalism.
The Grapes of Wrath (1939): Steinbeck’s ”Depression epic”, which sums up the spirit of the 1930s,
tells the story of this great national tragedy through the experiences of one family of migrating
farmers searching for a ‘promised land’, which in the end differs from their expectations.
