Realism & Naturalism
Name:
Stephen Crane’s
“An Episode of War”
Block:
Literary Analysis: Realism and Naturalism
Realism is a type of literature that tries to show people and their lives as realistically as possible. Authors who write
material within this literary movement focus on ordinary people rather than on exaggerated models of idealistic behavior.
Often such writers emphasize the harsh realities of ordinary daily life, even though their characters are fictional.
Naturalism expands on the base begun by realism. Writers who create naturalistic literature follow the traits of realism,
but they add the ideas that people and their lives are often deeply affected by natural forces such as heredity, environment, or
even chance. People cannot control such forces, yet they must carry on the best way they can.
The main difference between the two movements is that naturalism emphasizes the lack of control its realistic characters
have over the changes taking place in their lives. The influence of both literary movements can often be seen in the same piece
of literature, such as “An Episode of War” by Stephen Crane.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passages from “An Episode of War.” Tell whether you think each one reflects realism, naturalism, or both.
Explain your answer.
1. He was on the verge of a great triumph in mathematics, and the corporals were thronging forward, each to reap a little
square [of coffee], when suddenly the lieutenant cried out and looked quickly at a man near him as if he suspected it
was a case of personal assault. The others cried out also when they saw blood upon the lieutenant’s sleeve.
Realism, Naturalism, or both:
Explain:
2. When he reached home, his sisters, his mother, his wife, sobbed for a long time at the sight of the flat sleeve. “Oh,
well,” he said, standing shamefaced amid these tears. “I don’t suppose it matters so much as all that.”
Realism, Naturalism, or both:
Explain:
3. Cite two further examples of Realism and Naturalism in this story:
Realism
Naturalism
Comprehension and Analysis Questions
4. How does what the lieutenant is doing when he is wounded make him a sympathetic character?
5. How does Crane describe the reaction of the men around the lieutenant at the time?
6. What are three things that the wounded soldier notice on his journey away from the line of battle?
a.
b.
c.
7. What are three details does Crane uses to describe the field hospital?
a.
b.
c.
8. What is ironic about the doctor’s reaction to the lieutenant’s wounded arm?
9. According to the Naturalists, humans are weak and ineffectual beings at the mercy of deterministic forces.
Defend this statement using examples from “An Episode of War.”
10. Why might the textbook authors have chosen to pair “An Episode of War” with “Willie Has Gone to the
War”?