美国文学15讲-The Age of Realism and Naturalism.docVIP

Part three: The Age of Realism and Naturalism ( 1875-1914) 第十五讲： Chapter 4: American Literature of the Middle and late 19th century. 1. Realism in general: Realism came as a reaction against “the lie” of romanticism and sentimentalism. Literature began to pay less attention to general ideas and more to the immediate facts of life. In the broadest sense, realist literature is simply fidelity to actuality in its representation on literature”. It is based on the accurate, unromanticized observation of human experiences. It insists on precise description, authentic action and dialogue, moral honesty, and a democratic openness in subject matter and style. As a way of writing, realism has been applied in almost every literature throughout history. But as a literary movement, realism is a period concept. It refers to the approach of realist fiction occurred at the latter part of the 19th century. In part, the rise pf realism came as a protest against the falseness and sentimentality(多愁善感， 过分的情感) which the realists thought they saw in romantic literature. They were determined to create a new kind of literature that was completely and totally realistic. It expressed the concern for the world of experience, of the commonplace, and for the familiar and the low. 2. Major Features: 1) Familiar aspects of contemporary life and everyday scenes are represented in a straightforward or matter-of-fact（讲究实际的， 实事求是的） manner. It stresses truthful treatment of material, without abstract interest in nature, death, etc. 2) Characters from all social levels are examined in depth. Before this time characters served some sort of allegorical （比喻的， 寓言的）or symbolic purpose. They value the individual very highly, stress the function of environment in shaping character, and take characterization as the center of the story. They have great concern for the effect of action on characters, and a tendency to explore the psychology of people in the story. 3) Open ending is also a good example of the tr