Realism and Naturalism / Stephen Crane
Realism and Naturalism (1890 - 1914)
Historical, Scientific, and Social Happenings
- Industrial Revolution
- Technological advances
- Transcontinental railroad
- Telephone
- A few extremely wealthy people (Rockefeller, Carnegie)
- A large amount of poverty-stricken people
- Workers treated poorly (children forced into hard labor in unhealthy environments)
- U.S. became a world power
- Science was increasingly important
Realism and Naturalism
- Literary Movements (or, common themes expressed in literature in that period)
- Accurate representation of life without idealization
- Human existence is determined by natural forces that humanity cannot control
- Nature is indifferent to human problems
Stephen Crane (1871 - 1900)
- War correspondent
- Worked as a reporter for a New York Newspaper (fired after writing a controversial article)
- Writer of novels, short stories, and poems
- Novels include:
- Maggie, a Girl of the Streets - a harsh look at the horrible situations in the slum areas of New York; a young girl is forced into prostitution by the need to survive
Ms. Fye, 1996