Unit 3: From Romanticism to Realism
Published on Nov 24, 2015
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Unit 3: From Romanticism to Realism
1855-1870
An Age of Transition
The Civil War was a violent clash, not just of armies, but of ideas. Who was right, and who was wrong? What did it mean to be an American? Was any price too high to pay to keep the nation whole? There was nothing theoretical about the conflict - real people died, hundreds of thousands of them: fathers, sons, and brothers. But the war began before a single shot was ever fired. Writers served as its first soldiers, and the battle lines were drawn in ink.
Photo by Rennett Stowe
Emerging Realism: Historical Context
The central influence on literature of this period was the conflict between North and South that ended in the Civil War. Although romantic attitude helped push the nation into war, four years of bitter fighting led to a new realism.
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In what sense was the United States "a house divided against itself" in 1858?
Photo by Matthew Straubmuller
A Cultural Divide
- Northern economy based on trade and industry
- Southern economy based on agriculture and slavery
- Slavery divided the nation
- Slavery's westward expansion provoked confrontation
Ex. Kansas had to make a decision to join the Union as a free state or a slave state. The vote over this decision turned deadly, and continued violence between proslavery and antislavery settlers led people to begin calling the territory Bleeding Kansas.
Photo by kimberlykv
Conflict Reaches the Government
1. The floor of the U.S. Senate became a battleground.
2. Some senators spoke up against slavery and berated colleagues for supporting it.
3. One senator, a supporter of slavery, beat another senator for speaking out against it.
4. These actions made it clear that the North and South were no longer simply Americans from different regions but foreigners and enemies.
2. Some senators spoke up against slavery and berated colleagues for supporting it.
3. One senator, a supporter of slavery, beat another senator for speaking out against it.
4. These actions made it clear that the North and South were no longer simply Americans from different regions but foreigners and enemies.
Photo by Beverly & Pack
1857 - Supreme Court hears the case of Dred Scott
Dred Scott was a slave whose owner had taken him to spend several years in a free state.
Scott argued that living in a free state made him free.
The Supreme Court ruled against him, which made clear the idea that "free blacks had no rights which white man was bound to respect."
This decision sent even more shock waves throughout an already divided nation.
Scott argued that living in a free state made him free.
The Supreme Court ruled against him, which made clear the idea that "free blacks had no rights which white man was bound to respect."
This decision sent even more shock waves throughout an already divided nation.
Photo by House Divided Project
The Civil War
- Abraham Lincoln elected president of the U.S. in 1860
- Lincoln pledged to stop the spread of slavery
- Southern states seceded from the Union
- The south formed the Confederate States of America
Photo by J. Stephen Conn
The Civil War:
An expressionof romanticism
Photo by Community Photography 'now & then'
At first...
- People expected a quick, painless war
- Romantic view of warfare and the people who fought it
- Welcomed the chance to earn glory
Photo by Beverly & Pack
Later...
- Horrific battles revealed the brutal reality of war
- People began to abandon their romantic idealism
- 4 more long years of fighting followed
- The war ended in 1865
- General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant
1. Ex. Bull Run: This battle left thousands of soldiers wounded and/or dead.
4. Battle sites included: Shiloh, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg
5. Approximately 618,000 men had died - nearly as many Americans as have died in all other wars that the U.S. has ever fought).
4. Battle sites included: Shiloh, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg
5. Approximately 618,000 men had died - nearly as many Americans as have died in all other wars that the U.S. has ever fought).
Photo by Jason Pier in DC
Ideas of the Age
Americans in the postwar period embraced notions of freedom and unity. At the same time, they lost their taste for romanticism, having been confronted with the harsh realities of war.
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Freedom and Unity
- The U.S. was a wiser more somber nation after the war
- More Americans understood the importance of a unified nation
- Lincoln outlawed slavery
- The Civil War divided the country...
- ...its end brought the country back together
3. The Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment
Photo by Jason A. Samfield
The Civil War also changed the literary culture of America...
Romantic idealizations of nature, adventure, and heroism no longer seemed believable...
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A more realistic view of life took hold.
Literature of the Times
The Civil War was a transitional period for writers of the day. Groundbreaking poets, former slaves, famous public figures and everyday people all contributed their ideas as the country and its literature moved from romanticism to realism.
Photo by KJGarbutt
Brilliant Mavericks:Whitman and Dickinson
Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson
- Whitman wrote many poems about current issues and events
- His works focused on the theme of the American experience
- Dickinson found inspiration for her works through her own thoughts
- Her works focused on the themes of life
2. Ex. the sad plight of the slave to the shocking assassination of President Lincoln.
4. Ex. love, death, immortality, nature
4. Ex. love, death, immortality, nature
Photo by Laura Galley
Whitman and Dickinson Alike...
- Both wrote poetry so radical in form and context
- Took many years for readers to appreciate their work
- Broke poetry wide open, creating remarkable works
- Create a link between one era and another...
- ...A link between romanticism and realism
Photo by Sarah Parnass
Literature of the Civil War
- Some of the most powerful voices were African Americans
- Slave narratives published and described the reality of enslavement
- Slave narratives made readers care
- Slave narratives showed that slaves were real human beings
- Slave narratives also showed how they suffered and longed for freedom
Photo by Marion Doss
Literature of the Civil War:
Others (male/female, white/black, highest ranking general/common foot soldier) shared "their" Civil War in diaries and letters.
1. Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address.
2. Realistic writers focused on the human tragedy of war.
3. In years to come, realism would grow and become the form that to some extent still dominates American literature today.
2. Realistic writers focused on the human tragedy of war.
3. In years to come, realism would grow and become the form that to some extent still dominates American literature today.
Photo by Yelnoc
