When was this?
Just after the Civil War
In 1869, what was invented?
Transcontinental Railroad
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What other things were invented during this time?
Telegraph, telephone, and electricity
Why did people go west?
For gold
Negatives of rapid growth:
1. Even more Native American lives were disrupted 2. The power was in the hands of few 3. The workers’ conditions worsened
What literary developments were popular?
Realism (natural color) and (naturalism)
What’s realism?
1.
Literary movement after Civil War2. Captured life after Civil War
What did realism capture:
Showed how ordinary people spoke and lived their lives
Economy shifted from:
Agriculture to manufacturing
Problems addressed by authors at this time?
Feminism, corrupted politics, and racism
Best known realism author:
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Realist poets:
Emily Dickinson
How do poets show realism?
Imagery
Realism led to:
Naturalism
What’s naturalism?
1. Portrays believable characters in a realistic world2. Viewed humans as victims, and people are nothing
Naturalists believe:
1. Humans have no free will – heredity and chance 2.
Affirmation of life
Romanticists vs. realists:
Talk about the details poetically, but realists say it like it is
Local color is:
Keeps local culture in the work – accents and sayings
