Transcript From Realism to Naturalism

Late 19th Century American Short Stories
Recap: What is Realism?
 Realism is “nothing more and nothing less than the
truthful treatment of material”
– William Dean Howells
 Where did we see realism in The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn?
What is Naturalism?
 Approaching literature and life scientifically
 The writer must study the world around him or
her, including …
 Inherited traits of individuals
 Social conditions of the time
 As a result, their worldview was not very bright.
Naturalism and Free Will
 Naturalist writers believed that free
will or self-determination is
mostly an illusion.
 That means you have little to NO
control over your actions or your
fate and that your environment
controls everything.
Naturalism and Literature
 Naturalistic writers used a
version of the scientific
method to write their
novels.
 They studied human beings
governed by their instincts
and passions as well as the
ways in which the
characters' lives were
governed by forces of
heredity and environment.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Themes in Naturalism
 The "brute within" each individual
 Humans are closer to the animal kingdom than we may think.
 The fight for survival in an amoral, indifferent
universe
 Nature has no morals; humans do.
 Conflict: man vs. nature and man vs. himself
 Nature as an indifferent force acting on the lives of
human beings.
 Nature doesn’t “care” about us.
By Stephen Crane
The War behind the Story
 The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898
between Spain and the United States. It ultimately ended
with the Americans defeating the Spaniards. Revolts
against Spanish rule had been endemic for decades in Cuba
and were closely watched by Americans.
 By 1897–98, American public opinion grew angrier at
reports of Spanish atrocities. After the mysterious sinking
of the American battleship Maine in Havana harbor,
America went to war with Spain.
 Compromise proved impossible, resulting in an ultimatum
sent to Madrid demanding it relinquish control of Cuba
immediately, which was not accepted.
The War behind the Story
 Although the main issue was Cuban independence,
the ten-week war was fought in both the Caribbean
and the Pacific. A series of one-sided American naval
and military victories followed on all fronts, owing to
their numerical superiority in most of the battles and
despite the good performance of some of the Spanish
infantry units.
 The outcome was the 1898 Treaty of Paris — which was
favorable to the U.S. — followed by temporary
American control of Cuba and indefinite colonial
authority over Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines.
“Greetings from Stephen Crane”
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlQ36mhXAJc
Yellow Journalism
 Yellow journalism or the
yellow press is a type of
journalism that presents
little or no legitimate wellresearched news and
instead uses eye-catching
headlines to sell more
newspapers. Techniques
may include exaggerations
of news events, scandalmongering, or
sensationalism.
Review! What is Naturalism?
 Naturalism: nineteenth-century literary movement
that was an extension of realism and that claimed to
portray life exactly as if it were being examined
through a scientist’s microscope. Naturalists relied
heavily on the new field of psychology, biology, and
sociology to explain human behavior. (Often includes
an amoral and indifferent world, animal imagery,
insanity, deterministic outcomes, etc.
Three Types of Irony
 situational irony: the difference between what you
expect will happen and what actually happens
 For example, when the birthday girl cries at her party.
 verbal irony: the contrast between what is said and
what is meant.
 For example, calling a bald man “curly.”
 dramatic irony: the contrast between what the
characters know and what the reader or audience
knows.
 For example, when the reader knows the character will die
at the end of the story but the character does not know.
“War is Kind” (1899)
Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind,
Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.
War is kind.
Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them.
Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom-A field where a thousand corpses lie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTxc0VNOVes
“War is Kind” (1899)
Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.
War is kind.
Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.
“War is Kind” (1899)
Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.
War is kind!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZGf-LDqMUA&NR=1