Late-19th-and-Early-20th-Century-American-Literatu

Late19thandEarly20thCenturyAmericanLiteratureAmericanRealismLocalcolorismAmericanNaturalismRelatedwritersI.SocialbackgroundTheAmericanCivilWar(1861-1865)TheindustrialNorthdefeatedtheagrarianSouth.Americaoutofthiseventwasnolongeraninnocentadolescentwhosanghighlyofthenewly-borncountrywithexuberant（生机勃勃的）pride.Insteadhebecameanexperiencedadultwholearnedandmaturedthroughthecriticaltest.I.SocialbackgroundTheAmericansquittheirillusionaryideaofwar.Warwasnolongernoble,glorious,heroicandworthpursuing,butratheratrocious(凶恶的、残暴的)andabsurdforitshorribleanddestructiveconsequences.E.g.StephenCrane’sTheRedBadgeofCouragedepictedthemadnessofwar.ThemassivekillingofthewarremindedpeopleoftheirpettinessratherthancapabilitywhichwasaprominentconceptduringtheRomanticperiod.I.SocialbackgroundThewarpromotedthefastdevelopmentofindustrilizationandurbanization,whichresultedinahugenumberofimmigrantstotheindustrialcities.Thereappearedabigdistancebetweenrichandpoor,andtherecamevarioussocialevils.Thepost-warperiodwasanageofextremes—ofdeclineandprogress,ofpovertyandwealth,andofgloomandbuoyanthope.II.AmericanRealismAmericanrealismwasastyleinart,musicandliteraturethatdepictedcontemporarysocialrealitiesandthelivesandeverydayactivitiesofordinarypeople.Themovementbeganinliteratureinthemid-19thcentury,andbecameanimportanttendencyinvisualartintheearly20thcentury.Americanrealistworksattemptedtodefinewhatwasreal.II.AmericanRealismTheAmericanRealistwritersweremuchconcernedwiththeactual,theordinaryandtypical,attemptingtoportrayAmericanlifeasitreallywassothatreaderscouldsee,touchandfeelit.Intheirworkstheyportrayedcharactersnotallgood,notallbad,notlargerthanlife,notheroic,notsublime,butrealandordinary.Theywerenotthosepolite,well-dressedgentlemen,butindustrialworkers,farmers,businessmen,vagrantsandswindlers（骗子）.II.AmericanRealismRepresentativewriters:MarkTwin,WilliamDeanHowells,HenryJames,HoratioAlger.Jr,StephenCrane,JohnSteinbeck,FrankNorris,TheodoreDreiser,UptonSinclair,JackLondon,andEdithWarton.III.LocalColorismAformofAmericanRealismrepresentedbyMarkTwin.LocalColorismwasalsocalledRegionalism.Itmanifestsaqualityinliterature,stressingfidelitytoaparticulargeographicalsectionandafaithfulrepresentationofitshabits,speech,manners,history,folklore,orbeliefs.BeingabranchofRealism,regionalismdemandsthatanauthorwriteaboutwhatisuniqueinhisorherlivingsection.RegionalwritinghasprevailedthoughoutAmericanhistory,butAmericanregionalismbecamemorepopularaftertheCivilWar.1.ThebackgroundofLocalColorismRegionaldifferences.TherewasnotaculturalcohesivenessduringpostbellumAmerica.TheUnitedStateswasstillexpandingwestardandthereexistedavastdifferencebetweenregions.Culturalidentity.Thepeopleintheeaststillremainedsuperiorthantherestofthecountry.therestofthecountrykeenlyfeltapsychologicalneedtoasserttheiridentity,seekingunderstandingandrecognitionbyshowingtheirlocalcharacter.1.ThebackgroundofLocalColorismIntellectualfoundationIntellectually,agroupoffrontierhumanistsflourishedseveraldecadesbeforetheCivilWar,theypreparedtheliterarygroundforlocalcolorism.Inasense,thelocalcolorismoriginateddirectlyfromthefrontiertalltale（夸张的故事，荒诞不经的故事）tradition.Afterthewar,agoodnumberofperiodicals,suchasHarper’sMonthly,Harper’sWeekly,TheGalaxy,andScribner’sMagazine,appearedunusuallywillingtoacceptandpaywellforlocalcolorshortstories.2.FeaturesofLocalColorismNarrator:anoutsider,abridgebetweentheruralfolkofthetaleandtheurbanaudiencetowhomthetaleisdirected.Setting:Theemphasisisfrequentlyonnatureandthelimitationsitimposes;settingsarefrequentlyremoteandinaccessible.Thesettingisintegraltothestoryandmaysometimesbecomeacharacterinitself.2.FeaturesofLocalColorismCharacters:localcolorstoriestendtobeconcernedwiththedistrictorregionratherthanwiththeindividual.Thecharactersaremarkedbytheiradherencetotheoldways,bydialect,andbyparticularpersonalitytraitscentraltotheregion.Inwomen’slocalcolorfiction,theheroinesareoftenunmarriedwomenoryounggirls.Plot:Storiesmayincludelotsofstorytellingandrevolvearoundthecommunityanditsrituals.2.FeaturesofLocalColorismThemes:anantipathy(反感、厌恶)tochange,acertaindegreeofnostalgiaforanalways-pastgoldenage.Thematictensionorconflictbetweenurbanwaysandold-fashiondruralvaluesisoftensymbolizedbytheintrusion（侵入、闯入）ofanoutsiderorinterloper（闯入者）whoseekssomethingfromthecommunity.Women’localcolorfictionsareoftencharacterizedbythecelebarationofcommunityandacceptanceinthefaceofadversity(逆境、不幸、灾难、灾祸).3.Distinctionsbetweenrealismandlocalcolor“Economicorpoliticalpowercanitselfbeseentobedefinitiveofarealistaesthetic,inthatthoseinpower(say,whiteurbanmales)havebeenmoreoftenjudged‘realists,’whilethoseremovedfromtheseatsofpower(say,Midwesterners,blacks,immigrants,orwomen)havebeencategorizedasregionalists.”----EricSundqustIV.AmericanNaturalismDefinitionofNaturalismNaturalism(fromthe1880sto1930s)isanextensionofrealism.Itwasaliterarymovementortendencythatuseddetailedrealismtosuggestthatsocialconditions,heredity,andenvironmenthadinescapableforceinshapinghumancharacter.Itwasamainlyunorganizedlit