American-Realism-2014

AmericanRealism（1865-1914）SocialconflictsTheagrarianidealofThomasJeffersonVS.theindustrialidealofAlexanderHamiltonTheplantationgentilityoftheSouthVS.thecommercialgentilityoftheNorthAculturallymatureEastandarawandexpandingWestHistoricalbackground1.ThewarmarkedthechangeinAmericanmoralvalues.AftertheCivilWar,USheadedtowardcapitalism.ThewarquestionedTranscendentalistassumptions,suchasnaturalgoodness,theoptimisticviewofnatureandman,benevolentGod.Self-reliancebecamepervertedintoadmirationfordrivingambition,alustformoneyandpower.2.Increasingindustrializationandmechanizationofthecountryproducedextremesofwealthandpoverty.3.Thefrontierwasclosing.TheworthoftheAmericandream,theidealizedandromanticviewofmanbegantoloseitshold.4.Bythe1870s,AmericanRenaissancebegantowane.Manycelebritieseitherbecameoldordied.TheageofRomanticismwasbyandlargeover.Realismisaliterarydoctrine,originatedinFrance,thatcallsfor“realityandtruth”inthedepictionofordinarylife.InAmericaliteraryhistory,theperiod1865-1914isreferredtoastheAgeofRealism.Itaimsattheinterpretationofactualitiesofanyaspectoflife,freefromsubjectiveprejudice,idealism,orromanticcolor.themoralandsocialeffectsoftheirwritingsthanthetranscendentalandsymbolicimplicationsoftheirartthewiderangeofAmericanexperienceandtopresentthesubtletiesofhumanpersonality,toportraycharacterswhoarelesssimplyallgoodorbad,withanopendescriptionofclassstruggle.RealismRealisticworkscanbecharacterizedbyaccuratepresentationofeverydaylife,openending,commonness,objectivity,choiceofcharactersfromallsociallevels,andtheirmoralvisions.Majorfeatures1.Familiaraspectsofcontemporaryandeverydaylifearerepresentedinastraightforwardormatter-of-factmanner.truthfultreatmentofmaterial.anti-romantic,anti-sentimental,andwithoutabstractinterestinnature,death,andetc.2.Charactersfromallsociallevelsareexaminedindepth.Beforethistimecharactersservedsomesortofallegoricalorsymbolicpurpose.Therealistwritersholdontocharactersandkeepexamininghowthesepeoplerelatetoeachother.3.Openending.Ittellsthereaderslifeiscomplexandcannotbefullyunderstood.4.Focusoncommonnessofthelivesofthecommonpeople.Theyareinterestedinthecommonplace,theeveryday,theaverage,thetrivialandtherepresentative.Theyareinterestedincommoncharactersandtheeverydayeventswhichshowtheaveragelife.5.Theyemphasizeobjectivityandoffersanobjectiveratherthananidealisticviewofhumannatureandhumanexperience.Asdetachedobserversoflife,theymadeinvestigationslikescientists.6.Realismpresentsmoralvisions.Theauthordoeshaveapurposeforpresentinganobjectiveaccountofreallife.Themoralsenseresidesintheauthor’spurpose.Realistsareethicalwriters,interestedintheproblemsoftheindividualconscienceinconflictwithsocialinstitutions.AmericanrealisticauthorsBretHarte:thefirstAmericanwriteroflocalcolorWilliamDeanHowells:thearbiterofAmericanrealism/holdsthattruthisthehighestbeauty.InhisCriticismandFiction,hedefinedrealismas“fidelitytoexperienceandprobabilityofmotive”Tohim,realismisbynomeansmerephotographicpicturesofexternalsbutincludesacentralconcernwithmotivesandpsychologicalconflicts.HenryJamesinsistedthatartmustberelatedtolife;InhisTheArtofFiction,hemadeitclearthattheaimofartistorepresentlife.HenryJames/MarkTwain:thegreatestofAmericanrealistsRegionalismRegionalismstressesfidelitytoaparticulargeographicalsectionandafaithfulrepresentationofitshabits,speech,manners,history,folklore,orbeliefs.Americanregionalismrepresentedanewfreedomthatauthorsfrommanydifferentregionswereabletopublishstoriesabouttheirpartofthecountry.Regionalismcanalsobeviewedasresultedfromthedesirebothtopreservedistinctivewaysoflifebeforeindustrializationdestroyedthemandtocometotermswiththeharshrealitiesthatseemedtoreplacethoseearlytimes.LocalcolorismThedetailedrepresentationinfictionofthesetting,dialect,customs,dressandwaysofthinkingandfeelingwhicharedistinctiveofaparticularregion,suchasThomasHardy’sWessexorRudyardKipling’sIndia.Popularanddominantinthelate1860sandearly1870sinAmericaAftertheCivilWar,anumberofAmericanwritersexploitedtheliterarypossibilitiesoflocalcolorinvariouspartsofAmerica,suchastheWest(BretHart),theMississippiregion(MarkTwain),NewYorkCity(O.Henry).Basicfeatures1.Alocaledistinguishedfromtheoutsideworld.Localcoloristsconcernthemselveswithportrayingandinterpretingthelocalcharacteroftheirparticularregion.2.Theexoticandthepicturesqueisdescribed.Markedbyanaccuratedialectreporting,atendencytowardtheuseofeccentricsascharactersandtheuseofsentimentalizedpathos(感伤)orwhimsical(古怪的)humorinplotting.3.Localcolorfictionglorifiesthepast.Thewritersarenostalgicaboutthepastastheyarereallytryingtodescribethingsthatwouldbelost.Notonlynostalgicbutalsosociallycritical.4.Attemptstoshowthingsastheyare.Theywanttotellthereadershowthingsarerightnow,buttheyalsowanttorecallthepastandtellthereadershowgreatthepasthadbeen.5.Stressingtheinfluenceofsettingoncharacter.Ineachregionofthecountry,thesettingisdifferent,andthereforethepeoplebehavedifferently.Naturalismisanewandharsherrealism,appearingattheendofthe19thcentury.Inspiredby