Realism and Mark Twain
The Civil War and Post-War Period
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A reaction against romanticism, an
interest in scientific method, the
systematizing of the study of
documentary history, and the influence
of rational philosophy all affected the
rise of realism.
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According to William Harmon and Hugh
Holman, "Where romanticists transcend the
immediate to find the ideal, and naturalists
plumb the actual or superficial to find the
scientific laws that control its actions,
realists center their attention to a
remarkable degree on the immediate, the
here and now, the specific action, and the
verifiable consequence" (A Handbook to
Literature 428).
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In American literature, the term
"realism" encompasses the period of
time from the Civil War to the turn of
the century during which William Dean
Howells, Rebecca Harding Davis,
Henry James, Mark Twain, and others
wrote fiction devoted to accurate
representation and an exploration of
American lives in various contexts.
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As the United States grew rapidly after the Civil
War, the increasing rates of democracy and literacy,
the rapid growth in industrialism and urbanization,
an expanding population base due to immigration,
and a relative rise in middle-class affluence
provided a fertile literary environment for readers
interested in understanding these rapid shifts in
culture. In drawing attention to this connection,
Amy Kaplan has called realism a "strategy for
imagining and managing the threats of social
change" (Social Construction of American Realism
ix).
Plot and Character
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Character is more important than action and
plot; complex ethical choices are often the
subject.
Characters appear in the real complexity of
temperament and motive; they are in
explicable relation to nature, to each other,
to their social class, to their own past.
Humans control their destinies; characters
act on their environment rather than simply
reacting to it.
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Renders reality closely and in comprehensive
detail. Selective presentation of reality with an
emphasis on verisimilitude, even at the expense of
a well-made plot.
Events will usually be plausible. Realistic novels
avoid the sensational, dramatic elements of
naturalistic novels and romances.
Class is important; the novel has traditionally
served the interests and aspirations of an insurgent
middle class.
Interpretation and
analysis
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Realism is viewed as a realization of
democracy.
The morality of Realism is intrinsic, integral,
relativistic – relations between people and
society are explored.
Realists were pragmatic, relativistic,
democratic and experimental. The purpose
of writing is to instruct and to entertain.
Structure of Prose
Diction is the natural vernacular, not heightened or poetic;
tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact.
The use of symbolism is controlled and limited;
the realists depend more on the use of images.
Objectivity in presentation becomes increasingly important:
overt authorial comments or intrusions diminish as the century progresses.
Mark Twain
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Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida,
Missouri in 1835
At the age of four, he moved to Hannibal on
the Mississippi River
He eventually became a riverboat pilot; he
derived the name Mark Twain from the
riverboat leadsman’s signal “By the mark,
Twain”- meaning the water was deep
enough for safe passage
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Huck Finn was published in 1884
It received great public and critical
acclaim.
Facts about the novel
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time and place written · 1876–1883; Hartford, Connecticut,
and Elmira, New York
date of first publication · 1884
narrator · Huckleberry Finn
point of view · Huck’s point of view, although Twain
occasionally indulges in digressions in which he shows off his
own ironic wit
tone · Frequently ironic or mocking, particularly concerning
adventure -novels and romances; also contemplative, as
Huck seeks to decipher the world around him; sometimes
boyish and exuberant
tense · Immediate past
setting (time) · Before the Civil War; roughly 1835–1845;
Twain said the novel was set forty to fifty years before the
time of its publication
setting (place) · The Mississippi River town of St.
Petersburg, Missouri; various locations along the river through
Arkansas
The Adventure of Huck
Finn- Themes
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Themes
Racism and slavery
Intellectual and moral education
The hypocrisy of “civilized” society
Society’s values and laws can be in conflict with
higher moral values.
People must live outside of society to be truly free.
Freedom means different things to different people.
The novel also depicts Huck’s maturation
and development.
He distrusts the morals and precepts of a
society that fails to protect him.
He begins to question many of his
teachings- especially those regarding race
and slavery
I’ll “go to hell”
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Even though written after slavery was
abolished, things had not gotten much
better for blacks in the South.
We may read this story as an allegorical
representation of the conditions of blacks in
the US even after the abolition of slavery.
Twain exposes the hypocrisy of slavery.
Motifs
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Childhood
Lies and Cons
Superstitions and Folk Beliefs
Parodies of Popular Romance Novels
Symbols
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The Mississippi River- The ultimate
symbol of freedom
Land
Shipwrecks
Floods
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On a raft, away from society, he
becomes free from society’s rules and
makes his own conclusions.
The river symbolizes freedom; the
shore symbolizes civilization and the
people who live in it.
Satire
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https://www.examplesofsatire.com/
https://skeptically.org/cartoonsatire/
https://politicalhumor.about.com/