By Mark Twain
1889 – an essay “Wealth”, stating that the man of wealth had duties to the public. applied Darwin’s ideas of evolution in sociological and political way: “may be sometimes hard for the individual, ti ( competition ) is best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest”.
A new trend in literature which reached full development after the Civil War Man was seen as a product of his environment, who dealt with immediate realities New perception of life, love and art Mark Twain, Frank Norris, Stephen Crane, Jack London, Theodore Dreiser, Bret Harte
Short stories – native American humour Pointed out the way for the social novel in America Political pamphlets – outstanding examples of merciless satire
1848 - a printer's apprentice 1851 - a typesetter and contributor of articles and humorous sketches for the Hannibal Journal 1859 - a steamboat pilot 1863 - the pen name "Mark Twain" appeared in the Territorial Enterprise, Virginia City, Nevada
1865 - first important work, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (NY Saturday Press) 1872 - Roughing It, a semi-autobiographical account of the journey to Nevada and subsequent life in the American West. The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today - his first attempt at writing a novel, focused on American society
1875 - Old Times of the Missiissiippi features Twain’s dissolution with Romanticism A Defence of General Funston To the Person Sitting in the Darkness We Are Americanising Europe
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer The Prince and the Pauper Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The last fifth of Finn is subject to much controversy. Ernest Hemingway of Huckleberry Finn : “If you read it, you must stop where the Nigger Jim is stolen from the boys. That is the real end. The rest is just cheating.” A Connecticut Yankee in King’s Arthur Court
First Published: 1885 Genre: bildungsroman (coming of age novel ) Setting: Primarily along the banks of the Mississippi River Major Thematic Topics: racism; freedom versus civilization; slavery; realism versus idealism; societal pressure; expectations
one of the first novels to be written entirely in dialect Huckleberry Finn's world is a brutal one. Huck is immersed in deadly violence. The only place he finds tranquility is on the river with Jim.
The book was meant as a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 's language and its themes make it too difficult for children to comprehend. Twain intended it for adults.
Twain's original intention was to take "a boy of twelve and run him on through life (in the first person)." Huck's journey down the Mississippi River - an odyssey and a pilgrimage. Like Homer's Odyssey, the novel is episodic Huck's adventure is a pilgrimage (a journey of exalted purpose or moral)
Twain greets readers with a "NOTICE" The novel should not be analyzed for "motive" or "moral" or "plot" or punishment will follow characters will sound as if they live in the region in which the story takes place
1) the warning is a satiric jab at the sentimental literary style, which was in direct contrast to Twain's brand of literary realism 2) the warning introduces the use of satire 3) the warning is a convenient method by which to ward off literary critics who might be eager to dissect Twain's work
The contrast between freedom and civilization Huck struggles for natural freedom (freedom from society ) Jim struggles for social freedom (freedom within the society ) civilization presents a large obstacle to obtaining their dream civilization is filled with certain hypocrisies, including religion and the practice of slavery
The historical realities of slavery and racial division - the most important and most controversial elements in Huck Finn First, the novel is a satire; that is, irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit are used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity Second, the novel is first person narrative (told from Huck's point of view).
Regional realism or local colourism Diversity of the country after the Civil War The population became conscious of their local colour and characteristics; growing national identity A tone of nostalgia Written as realistically as possible; were identified by its scrupulously factual, realistic technique
an American author and poet, best remembered for his accounts of pioneering life in California
1868 - The Luck of Roaring Camp, propelled Harte to nationwide fame. 1870 - Dickens in Camp - considered by many of Harte's admirers as his masterpiece of verse, for its evident sincerity, the depth of feeling it displays, and the unusual quality of its poetic expression Typical character – an outsider thrown out of society but showing a true unselfish character
Works are outwardly realistic, but presenting a bit romantic version of the gun-slinging West First to introduce low-life characters Readers were fascinated by melodramatic descriptions of the hard and violent life on the frontier.
Social protest, esp. towards the end of the century Racial injustice, inequality between sexes: George Washington Cable (1844-1925), The Grandissimes (1880) Kate Chopin (1851-1904), The Awakening Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935), The Yellow Wallpaper
The Awakening Published in 1899 examines the smothering effects of late 19th-century social structures upon a woman whose simple desire is to fulfill her own potential and live her own life. The novel received only one printing
Women as property Hopelessness and the power to act. As property, the protagonist is left powerless, feeding a sense of despondency and hopelessness Isolation versus solitude. Isolation is externally imposed; solitude is internally embraced
The demands of society versus the needs of individuals. Escape from control. Worse things can happen to a person than death. Motherhood versus self-determination. Birds and wildlife. Throughout the book, birds are placed in various scenes, representing the freedom women are neglected.
Sleep and rest. Along with the obvious reference contained in the title The Awakening, the protagonist is portrayed as sleeping or just coming out of a nap. The Story of an Hour (1894)
Henry James – American life in the Gilded Age was not worthy as a subject of literature Literary art “makes life, makes interest, makes importance” “international theme” – complex relations between naïve Americans and cosmopolitan Europeans the psychological problems of upper-class people in a realistic way
Transatlantic Sketches (1875) The American (1877) Daisy Miller (1879) The Portrait of a Lady (1881) – the drama is not created by the heroine’s actions, but by the thoughts in her mind
Second period – experimental; new ideas – feminism, social and political reform: The Princess Casamassima (1885) The Bostonians (1886) Third period – international subjects, but treated with increasing sophistication and psychological insight The Wings of the Dove(1902); The Ambassador (1903); The Golden Bowl (1904)
The Turn of the Screw – an enigmatic ghost story, intricate style and surgically precise analysis of character The story is fascinatingly ambiguous The ambiguity is created through the use of a limited point of view It’s up to the reader to decide whether or not he may trust the main character’s account of events
Social transformation: the decline of the cultivated group of the society and the rise of boorish nouveau-riche business families Contrasts Americans and Europeans The core of her concern – the gulf separating social reality and the inner self A sensitive character feels trapped by unfeeling characters or social forces
The House of Mirth (1905) The Custom of the Country (1913) Summer (1917) The Age of Innocence (1920) novella Ethan Frome (1911)
Explicitly used realism to relate the individual to society Is essentially a literary expression of philosophical doctrine of determinism Denied religion as a motivating force in the world and perceived the universe as a blind, uncontrolled machine Naturalism opened up underside of society and the topics of divorce, adultery, poverty and crime
Naturalism was opposed to romanticism (symbolic, idealistic, or even supernatural treatment of subjects). Naturalistic works often include uncouth or sordid subject matter. Naturalistic works were often very pessimistic and frequently criticized for being too blunt.
American naturalists, especially Norris and London, were heavily influenced by Zola. No coherent literary movement, occasional critical and theoretical reflections do not present a uniform philosophy. American naturalism - a reaction against the realist fiction of the 1870s and 1880s, whose scope was limited to middle-class or “local color” topics, with taboos on sexuality and violence
A disadvantage of naturalism: the writing is fragments of a picture with a great number of details. The naturalists gave only an impression, lacking analysis Russian realism (Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov) with its humanism had a much greater influence of American writers
Writer and poet Maggie: A Girl Of The Streets (1893) - a milestone in the development of literary naturalism The Red Badge Of Courage (1895) - the first modern war novel
One of the best and the earliest naturalistic American novels The harrowing story of a violent life of a poor, sensitive girl Earthy subject matter, objective, scientific style, devoid of moralizing
The Black Rider (1895), a collection of poems, brought Crane better reporting assignments The Open Boat, is based on a true experience, when his ship sank on the journey to Cuba in 1896.
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