“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” (Realism in American Literature). It was more than just a movement; realism exemplified life and all of its components for what it truly was. Naturalism was the use of detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character. Both techniques played a major role in the movement from romanticism in the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s.
Research the movement. Using the links bellow, along with other found sources, find a poet that was part of this movement. Briefly discuss their past and several reasons that could have caused them to be drawn towards the techniques of naturalism and realism. Analyze one of their works and explain specific examples of how it was influenced by realism, naturalism or both.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Naturalism is a theory in literature which emphasizes the role of environment upon human characters. It is an extreme form of realism which arose in the early 20th century. Rather than focusing on the internal qualities of their characters, authors called out the effects of heredity and the outside forces on humanity. Naturalistic writers were influenced by the evolution theory of Charles Darwin, which was the belief that men's eminence over women was the outcome of sexual selection. Kate Chopin exhibited naturalistic writing within her works.
ReplyDeleteChopin was widely recognized as one of the leading writers of her time; however, her life was not filled with happy memories. The difficult choices Chopin had to make provided her with insights, understanding and allowed her an analysis of late 19th century American society. Her childhood consisted of an upbringing by women with ancestry descending from both Irish and French family. Chopin also found herself within the Cajun and Creole part of the nation after she joined her husband in Louisiana. As a result, many of her stories and sketches were about her life in Louisiana in addition to the incorporation of her less than typical portrayals of women as their own individuals. In 1882, her husband died, leaving her with a great debt on the family farm. Convinced on keeping the land, Chopin flirted with local men in hopes of obtaining money but was forced to sell the farm a few years later. After the loss of her husband and later her mother, Chopin found herself in a state of depression. One of her family friends, Dr. Frederick Kolbenheyer, felt that writing would be a source of healing for her during the hard times she was facing. He believed writing could be a way to express her emotions while also a source of income. However, some of her writings, such as The Awakening, were far too ahead of the time period and not socially accepted. This book was published in 1899, and criticized because of its lack of moral standards. The Awakening tells the story of a woman trapped in the confines of an oppressive society. Available to the public for over a century, it is now critically acclaimed for its writing quality and importance as an early feminist work.
The aspect of naturalism was portrayed in The Awakening through the portrayal of Edna as hostage to herself. She is a female with children, and a wife in a society that dictates behavioral standards based on those circumstances. These factors drive the novel and drive Edna. She makes no attempt to suppress her impulses and bases her decisions on the welfare of her children. The novel is also true to the real life aspects of Realism and Naturalism in its dealing with sexual matters, specifically Arobin's seduction and, the kisses she gives to Robert. This type of description was actually advanced for both movements; Chopin provided a more detailed and full range of sexual emotions and activities than most other American novelists had. (Seyersted/ Culley, 181). The relationship between men and women and the economic aspects that go along with that issue are also realistic. Edna is "owned" at various points in the novel by the men in her life. Her husband speaks of women like possessions, and Leonce is shown to class her as a symbol of his social status. Edna herself remarks that as she moves into the pigeon house she feels she is lower on the social rank. Another naturalistic element in the novel is the portrayal of Edna as a victim of fate and chance, being pulled into an apathetic sea. In the end, despite her developments into selfhood, the only escape from her destiny as a woman in society is death.
Realism and naturalism, with their stirring dissent against the excesses and bacchanality that abounded in Romantic literature, appealed to many rising poets and writers who sought a more systematic view of the world. The age of love, Classic models, and dreams had shattered into a scientific study of mankind as a specimen in the Petri-dish we know as the world. Robert Browning was born the May 7th, 1812, in Victorian England to middle class parents, another hallmark of the realist movement. Browning was not nurtured by nobility or wealth, and thus had to fight to make his way in the world. At an early age, his parents sent him to the West Indies where he witnessed the harsh bonds of slavery and the dire human condition. It is then, no wonder, that his poetry reflects the simple magnitude of a human experience. Take for example his work “Wanderers” found here: http://www.bartleby.com/101/716.html.
ReplyDeleteBrowning begins the poem with a systematic observation and catalogue of the ship’s construction, citing its “cedar pales in scented row” and “black bull hides” (14, 8). Throughout the long first stanza, Browning compares the journeys that humans embark upon as endless, circular, and wrought with dangers such as “night-wind”, “dancing brine”, or “sleep as calm as death” (23, 15, 29). In the second stanza, Browning relates the joy of a task accomplished as the sailors reached their “harbor thus” but reverts back to the traditional form of realism in shattering that dream when the weary travels “awoke with a sudden start from [their] deep dream” (49, 66-67).
@Caroline- Your connection to Kate Chopin's The Awakening is really great. You were able to perfectly tie in her themes to the naturalist and realist ideas. Although it was intended to be related to poetry, your analysis and examples were excellent!
ReplyDelete@Bracey- The description you gave of the evolution of naturalism and realism was excellent. You definitely captured the movement away from romanticism. Great job finding the naturalist views in the poem!
Realism broke away from the preceding Romantic period and depicted what life is truly like whereas the Romantic period was based on interests in the scientific method, influence of rational philosophy, and systematically studying documentary histroy. Realism attempts to challenge this preceding belief and portrays life the way that it actually is. One active participant in the Realist movement was Henry James. James is considered the father of the realistic psychological novel. His characters are defined how they live and the social requirements of society. Henry James explored the psyches of his characters who face clandestine social and ethical situations. As compared to other realists during that time, James placed his characters in situations that may not always have happy endings. Reasons James have been such a great part in the Realist movement was because he found inspiration in the complex manners and obligations of the elite class. James was born in an elite household because his father was considered one of the top intellectuals of the mid 19th century. Observing the traditions and throughts of the elite shaped him and his thoughts of how excess of everything can cause harm.
ReplyDeleteIn his works, his characters often faced challenges that result from the opportunities money and leisure, and the focus of his works tend to focus on the harm that can be done if there is excess wealth and independence. A recurring theme in James’ work is the juxtaposition of characters from the Old World interacting with people of the New World and how there are clashes in thoughts and cultures. One incident that may have played a role in shaping the way James writes is when he walked out of years of schooling and observed the torment around him, which led him to write the truth of how people are or can be, making him a realist writer. One of his most famous works is his novel Daisy Miller, in which an American, Daisy Miller, from the New World (America) and Winterbourne, of the Old World (Europe) come together, and Winterbourne begins to hold feelings of affection towards Daisy. The novel is based on clashes of their thoughts, and it ends with the death of Daisy, which shows the not-so-happy-ending theme of James' work. This idea of conflicts between the Old and New World must have been a common theme in the Realist period because people from Europe would come to America for different purposes and there was definitely a clash in their ideologies, which makes it and James great example from the Realist time period.
Walt Whitman found himself in the midst of a transition from transcendentalism to realism. He, therefore, incorporated both styles in his works. Whitman was a man of many trades being a journalist, teacher, government clerk, and volunteer nurse during the American Civil War. Living through the Civil War was very impressionable on Whitman and subsequently his work. His brother George was in the Union army and sent Whitman extensive letters reporting vividly on events of the battles. His brother was later captured by the Confederates. This all weighed very heavy on Whitman, and he began expressing his feelings through writing in an attempt to accurately depict the happenings of the war. His poem that follows is a representation of his incorporation of realism in poetry.
ReplyDeleteI Hear America Singing.
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe
and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off
work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deck-
hand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing
as he stands,
The woodcutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morn-
ing, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work,
or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young
fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
This ode to American characters epitomizes realism in its common vernacular. Although there is no specific form to the poem, it has a melodious flow in its repetition. This poem is very much the story of everyman. It appeals to what is realistic, what is hard work, what is necessary in life. It is not elaborate, yet it highlights each person in their uniqueness. Their place in society is duly noted, but in a way that display function and ease not contempt. The duties described are also very probable and conceivable. Through simplicity, Whitman evokes admiration, praise, and respect for the hard-working American.
Thomas Hardy is considered one of the most influential authors and poets during the Realist period. Sticking with the Realistic approach of rebelling against the optimistic idealism of the Romantic period, Hardy’s poems cut right to the truth with little exaggeration. Born on June 2, 1840, Hardy lived a humble life growing up. His mother’s love for literature was the driving force behind his love for writing. After dabbling some time in the realm of literature, Hardy married and turned to poetry. His marriage soon turned into shambles, which was greatly reflected in his works. Later on in life, his estranged wife’s sudden death profoundly effected Hardy. Coupled with the woes of his marriage and her sudden death, many of Hardy’s works had a pessimistic outlook on life yet reverberated with power, key in conjunction with the Realist period which is seen in one of his poems, “I Look into my Glass”.
ReplyDeleteI Look Into My Glass
I look into my glass,
And view my wasting skin,
And say, “Would God it came to pass
My heart had shrunk as thin!”
For then, I, undistrest
By hearts grown cold to me,
Could lonely wait my endless rest
With equanimity.
But Time, to make me grieve,
Part steals, lets part abide;
And shakes this fragile frame at eve
With throbbings of noontide.
Hardy’s poem is a prefect reflection of the Realist period with its attention to the reality of the somber subject of death. Harding observes himself very rationally as he “look[s] into my glass”. He sees his “wasting skin” and dawns upon the fact that his “endless rest” shall soon come. His attention to his frail frame and deteriorating skin expound upon the harsh realties old age comes with. The poem is a portal for which Hardy expresses his wish to die, for he has no more will to live characterized by his “hearts grown cold to me”. Overall, Hardy’s poem is a classic representation of Realism by approaching the subject of death with a systematic outlook that life is essentially not worth living if there is no want or will to live.
Realism and naturalism can undoubtedly be credited as to why poetry has evolved into the beautiful literary work it is today. The movements formed a more personal, human bond between poetry and society itself, not only the poets but the readers as well. Stephen Crane lived a short, but spectacular life, writing critically acclaimed poetry within the Realist realm. Crane was gifted academically, but was often attacked by sickness and had to earn his respect. This may be attributed to his realist poetry, the belief that one must fight for what they want. In his short poem "The Open Boat", Crane depicts a man yearning for the universe to recognize him. However, the universe replies that it does not have a "sense of obligation." This undertone that nothing is given, and everything is earned is relative to the realist writing Crane orchestrated in his life. He believed that, in order to gain everything one wants and be satisfied with themself, one needed to strive to succeed in everything he or she did, never asking for a break, never believing they deserved more.
ReplyDeleteAs humans naively attempt to categorize irrational aspects of life by rational means, literature becomes increasingly straightforward and pessimistic. This vain attempt removes the superfluous sectors in order to produce a product in accordance with “rules,” policies that vary with generation and culture. Writers attempt to capture the “truth” of society in everyday life as it appears. Paul Laurence Dunbar was born to parents who escaped slavery as part of the abolitionist movement. His parents realized the value of education and its function as a key to extend their physical liberation into spiritual and mental emancipation in a world ruled by oligarchical segregation. As a member of the African-American community in the nineteenth century, he learned firsthand the racial brutality that sought to repress him, therefore gaining a firsthand understanding of a need for truth and a realistic confrontation of injustice. As an associate with Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, Dunbar confronted quotidian issues like repression of not only the black community, but any group of people put down and segregated from another group. In the following poem “We Wear the Mask,” he emulates elements of naturalism by bringing to surface the painful experience of slaves, literally and metaphorically, who smile through clenched teeth during their unfair treatment. Their concealed pain and suffering acts as the thematic element that members of all ethnicities are connect to. Singing songs of praise and joy, these masked humans inwardly weep. By targeting the mask that conceals inevitable emotions, Dunbar, in accordance to realism, reveals the often saddening reality of the human experience.
ReplyDeleteWe wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,- This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties. Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream other-wise, We wear the mask!
Henry David Thoreau was born in 1817 during the age of abolishing slavery, war, and depressed times. Growing up in Concord, Massachusetts, Thoreau resided in a full house shared with his parents, two sisters and a brother. This family was nothing of great importance in their community, just a normal close-knit family. Thoreau was viewed differently when compared to his other siblings. He liked to be alone, known for taking long walks around the area as if pondering life and his purpose. When Thoreau moved to Walden Pond, many rumors traveled through the town accusing him of illness due to his reclusiveness. On the contrary, he was not ill but very curious of the wonders of his world that surrounded him. His philosophical views and appreciation for nature set the foundation of his creative works first starting with novels. After not paying taxes and being sent to jail, his writing shortened to essays. Transitioning once more from essays to poetry his career broadened and his popularity grew.
ReplyDelete"Low-Anchored Cloud [Mist]"
Low-anchored cloud,
Newfoundland air,
Fountain-head and source of rivers,
Dew-cloth, dream-drapery,
And napkin spread by fays;
Drifting meadow of the air,
Where bloom the daisied banks and violets,
And in whose fenny labyrinth
The bittern booms and heron wades;
Spirit of lakes and seas and rivers,
Bear only perfumes and the scent
Of healing herbs to just men's fields!
Incorporating his realistic views into his poem, Henry David Thoreau’s “Low-Anchored Cloud” is seen to have the purpose of restoring the pain caused by war and hard times faced within the country. This poem focuses on the beauty of nature, the “spirit of lakes and seas and rivers”, and the idealistic view that nature, god’s gift to the world, can heal the pain suffered without directly stating the grief. The smell of nature can overcome the stinch of war and death and “bear only perfumes”. Thoreau knows that in order to fixed the scars made on the country, you have to feed people with cheery idealistic views and turn their focus on something concrete like the “drifting meadow of the air.” Appreciation of the connection between the world and everyone who stands on earth is the ultimate spark that captured Thoreau’s followers.
Joyce Oates, born June 1938, is none other than a pure American author. She has written books which have been nominated for many prestigious awards, such as the Pulitzer Prize. Through her life she repeatedly turned towards writing as her escape from the rest of the world, her favorite authors being O'Conner, Kafka, and Thoreau among many others. In 1961 she met her first husband with whom she fell instantly in love, declaring they were perfect for each other due to the fact they both adored writing and the written word itself. Unfortunately, he was lost pneumonia in the year of 2008. This could've been a huge push in the direction of naturalism for her poetry and novels as survivial is pressed as a key theme. Then in 2009, she seemed to relinquish her first husband rather quickly, she remarried to a professor of psychology at Harvard. Again, depicting the survivial instinct in naturalism, while perhaps exercising the free will so often mentioned when naturalism is the topic.
ReplyDeleteOne of her works, "Passing an Afternoon", shows the conflict present in many naturalistic literature, the "man agasinst himself" theme. This is presented by the endless blood and repeated word "error". It would seem that the cut was a mistake made upon herself, which backs up the "man against himself" claim and everything she does to try and calm it turns into nothing but a mass of mistakes.
Blood transforms the warm bath water
and, in it, I see weakly
that this was a mistake.
The razor's cut is not deep, nevertheless
the blood rushes out happily in the warm
water as if kin to it, the same
tender substance.
Rising
a new person
transformed with an icy
sense of error
I go to the sink and turn on cold water
which is not friendly to blood.
The cut is deeper than imagined.
It hurts.
Splashes on the pale gold tile,
bright red bursts like sunlight,
like exclamation points—Another Error!
I wrap a small towel around my wrist.
A small towel indicates a small error.
Soaked through
the towel's gold is tarnished.
There is an innocent joy in the blood's
flow that the towel and I cannot absorb.
These spurts, worth twenty dollars a pint
on the market, sense themselves unmarketable now.
Another towel wrapped tight in terror
slows everything down. On a blue velvet
love seat from which love has wandered I
sit waiting. I am an angel with an alert
backbone. I am purified from the business
of panic.
The late 19th century and early 20th century were times of great progress in the world as rapid strides were made in the fields of industry, medicine, and war. The scientific fervor that gripped the world is reflected in the poetry of the time, as it begins to move away from the Romantic and become more Realist in nature, examining the human experience objectively and, in the case of naturalists, concluding that man is just another beast.
ReplyDeleteErnest Dowson is little known poet, born in London, both his parents were stricken with tuberculosis. His father died of a chloral hydrate overdose in 1894, and the next year his mother committed suicide. Dowson fell in love with an 11 year old polish girl, but was unsuccessful in winning her affection. After all these loss he became a penniless alcoholic, being taken in by a friend and dying six weeks later of alcoholism at the age of 32. His poem Absinthia Taetra, describes a man lost in the madness of absinthe. The poem details the warring emotions of man as the man in the poem is both haunted by his life, and immersed in the peacefulness of his absinthe induced visions. The indifference of the world is shown through the repetition of the line “nothing was changed.” The poem abandons the beautiful outlook of the romantics, and presents a more real picture of the decadence of the world.
Many poets may try to incorporate the representation of reality and scientific ground in their poetry. By doing so, a very scientific approach to a vividly depicted situation allows the reader to interpret what is occurring in the poem in a non-religious way. Because Seamus Heaney came from a small, fifty-acre farm in Northern Ireland, his poems focus in the real environment that surrounded him for so long. In Heaney’s Death of a Naturalist (to view follow: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/seamus_heaney/poems/12702), he actually uses realist elements to debunk that of the naturalist though pattern. With lines like “the flax-dam festered in the heart,” the heart being the core of the earth, the “flax-dam” festers because the inhabitants inhibit its care from mother earth. The “warm thick” air captures the exact feeling of the farm, along with the smell of “cowdung” in the grass. The small farm can be pictured through this poem exactly as it once stood, with Heaney venturing in and out of the house and around the property.
ReplyDeleteMark Twain was one of the greatest advocators of realism. He group up in a small town in Mississippi and he was clearly influenced by southern heritage and lifestyle. At one point, he was a river boat pilot on the Mississippi River, which served as the inspiration for one of America’s most famous realist novels, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He devoutly believed in harping on the immediacy technique of story-telling instead of the ideal method his predecessors utilized. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain revealed the true nature of how events unfolded in his novel. Just as the southern accents of the characters in the novel reflected their heritage, it was a natural choice to establish the novel in the realist sense to create more continuity. The novel may also be considered a naturalistic book because of the struggle of the lower class, Huck Finn, determined to make it in the world. Mark Twain is a shining example of the departure from flowery romanticist literature to more direct realism and naturalist literature
ReplyDeleteRealism shattered the mold that the Romantic Era created for literature. Realist works focus on events in life shaped after true events. These works became popular as reader was drawn to the raw quality these poems provided. Wilfrid Gibson was born on October 2, 1878 in Hexham, Northumberland. His father died in 1912, as a result he moved to London, England. Gibson joined the British Army as a youth. Many of his poems reflect the life of a foot soldier during times of strife. After serving in the am Gibson wrote poems depicting ordinary poverty such as village workers suffering in the daily lives. In his poem, “The Blind Rower”, found here http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-blind-rower/, Gibson tells a tale of a young man who rows boats and lays lobster pots for a living. The young man’s father dies, and the man tells of his coping. While this death torments the young man, he rows on continuing his life. This parallels the way in which a soldier must continue on even though death is eminent.
ReplyDeleteReally good responses everyone! You all seem to really understand the contrast between romantic writing and naturalist/realist. I hope you all learned something about a new poet and will find that this helped you in the future with analyzing poetry and its time period because everyone was able to piece the poem's meanings together. Awesome!
ReplyDelete