美国文学3realism.ppt

3. realism (1860s-1890s) Mark Twain Henry James Assignment for group 10 No.1---introduce the historical background and literature background of realism (1860s-1890s) No.2---introduce as many as possible the famous writers and their masterpieces in this period No.3---introduce Henry James’s life and works. Fine out his theme, characteristics and significance. No.4---introduce Mark Twain, life and works. Summary of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Background 1. civil war 1861-1865 2. Reconstruction: 1865–1877 3. Gilded Age: 1877-1900 The United States began its rise to international power in this period with substantial population and industrial growth domestically, along with numerous imperialist ventures abroad. By the late 19th century, the United States had become a leading global industrial power. American Realism Renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. Character is more important than action and plot; complex ethical choices are often the subject. Characters appear in their real complexity of temperament and motive; they are in explicable relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, to their own past. Class is important; the novel has traditionally served the interests and aspirations of an insurgent middle class. American Realism Events will usually be plausible. Realistic novels avoid the sensational, dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances. Diction is natural vernacular, not heightened or poetic; tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact. American Realism Objectivity in presentation becomes increasingly important: overt authorial comments or intrusions diminish as the century progresses. Interior or psychological realism a variant form. Mark Twain William Dean Howells Rebecca Harding Davis John W. De Forest Joseph Kirkland E. W. Howe Hamlin Garland Henry James Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835?– April 21, 1910) Mark Twain Questions 1. What do