American Realism (1865-1900)
Description:
Like all the terms relating to literary movements, the term is loose and somewhat equivocal. American
Realism began as a reaction to and a rejection of Romanticism, with its emphasis on emotion,
imagination, and the individual. The movement began as early as the 1830's but reached prominence
and held sway from the end of the Civil War to around the end of the nineteenth century. The
movement was centred in fiction, particularly the novel. It attempted fidelity to real life, or "actuality,"
in its representation. The realist concerns himself with the here and now, cantering his work in his
own time, dealing with common-place everyday events and people, and with the socio-political
climate of his day.
Realism in Literature
Realism was a literary movement that began in the mid-19th century and can be defined as a move
against Romanticism that stressed truthful and relatable, also realistic, subject matter. The era of
Romanticism, or romantic literature, was often marked by fantastical stories that were thought by
many to be out of touch with real life. Thus, Realism was an after effect or evolution from Romanticism
into more commonplace situations and stories in literature. Realism in literature was incredibly
popular and was demonstrated through the use of relatable, everyday, characters and situations.
The Realist Movement
The Realist literary movement was thought to have originated in France circa 1850, after the 1848
Revolution, and then spread widely throughout Europe and the United States as the movement gained
popularity. As previously mentioned, Realism was a response to the earlier period of Romanticism,
which also had its origins in France, but during the early French Revolutionary period. Realist artists
and writers grew tired of the fantastical exaggerations of the Romantic style and era, so they strove
to create more realistic representations of life; this is how the Realism period began. People were
widely more attracted to stories about common experiences and people that they could relate to,
which led to the overall popularity of the Realist movement.
Stendhal, a French writer, was famed for helping popularize the Realist literary movement. He, along
with other writers, created characters and situations that were relatable to common people. Realism
often focused on middle and lower-class people within typical locations and time periods.
Industrialism, history, racism, upward mobility, war, and the growing scientific fields of the time all
helped inspire subjects and backgrounds of Realism in American literature and beyond. The
aforementioned list was representative of real problems and developments that people navigated
during the time period, and still in the present, making Realism appealing to a range of readers.
Literary Realism as a movement fizzled out a bit by the mid-20th century, but subsequent writers were
inspired by the movement and still seek to create relatable characters and situations.
History of American Literary Realism
Realism soon took up root in American literary history, creating some of the most-studied American
works. William Dean Howells took up the mantel of realism in America and became the first American
realist author. His novels explored middle-class life in the late 1800s in America.
Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, followed not long after. His book The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, which hit the shelves in 1884, was the first novel that captured the distinct voice
and culture of the American South.
Examples of American Literary Realism
Stephen Crane: The Red Badge of Courage explores life on the battlefield during the Civil War.
John Steinbeck: This Nobel Prize-winning author wrote Grapes of Wrath, a novel that showed the truly
horrifying nature of the Great Depression.
Upton Sinclair: Sinclair used his writing to call out the improper political and business practices of the
meat-packing industry in his novel The Jungle.
Edith Wharton: This American novel and short-story writer explored the upper-class lifestyle of the
early 1900s.
Henry James: James wrote a number of famous American works, including The Turn of the Screw and
The Portrait of a Lady.
Types of Literary Realism
Literary realism can include several subtypes of literature, including:
Social realism: Socialist realism focuses on the poor or working class, often making a social or political
statement. These authors often hoped to create social change through their writing.
Magical realism: This form of literary realism adds magical elements to an otherwise normal world, in
a way combining literary realism with fantasy writing.
Naturalism: Naturalistic realism is a form of realism influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution. This
form of realism, common in Emile Zola’s writing, focuses on the belief that the scientific method can
explain events in society and the environment.
Psychological realism: This form of writing is driven by the characters of the story and their
psychological motivations.