
			Influence of Realism on Literature

         After World War I, American people and the authors among them 
 were left disillusioned by the effects that war had on their society. 
  America needed a literature that would explain what had happened and 
 what was happening to their society.  American writers turned to what 
 is now known as modernism.  The influence of 19th Century realism and 
 naturalism and their truthful representation of American life and 
 people was evident in post World War I modernism.  This paper will try 
 to prove this by presenting the basic ideas and  of these literary 
 genres, literary examples of each, and then make connections between 
 the two literary movements.  Realism  Modernism not only depicted 
 American society after World War I accurately and unbiasedly, but also 
 tried to find the solutions brought upon by the suffering created by 
 the war (Elliott 705).    
         The realistic movement of the late 19th century saw authors 
 accurately depict life and it's problems.  Realists attempted to "give 
 a comprehensive picture of modern life" (Elliott 502) by presenting 
 the entire picture.  They did not try to give one view of life but 
 instead attempted to show the different classes, manners, and 
 stratification of life in America.  Realists created this picture of 
 America  by combining  a wide variety of "details derived from 
 observation and documentation..." to "approach the norm of 
 experience..." (3).  Along with this technique, realists compared the 
 "objective or absolute existence" in America to that of the "universal 
 truths, or observed facts of life" (Harvey 12).  In other words, 
 realists objectively looked at American society and pointed out the 
 aspects that it had in common with the general truths of existence.   
         This realistic movement evolved as a result of many changes 
 and transitions in American culture.  In the late 1800's, the United 
 States was experiencing "swift growth and change" as a result of a 
 changing economy, society, and culture because of an influx in the 
 number of immigrants into America.  Realists such as Henry James and 
 William Dean Howells, two of the most prolific writers of the 
 Nineteenth-century, used typical realistic methods to create an 
 accurate depiction of changing American life.  William Dean Howells, 
 while opposing idealization, made his "comic criticisms of society" 
 (Bradley 114) by comparing American culture with those of other 
 countries.  In his "comic" writings, Howells criticized American 
 morality and ethics but still managed to accurately portray life as it 
 happened.  He attacked and attempted to resolve "the moral 
 difficulties of society by this rapid change." (Elliott 505). He 
 believed that novels should "should present life as it is, not as it 
 might be" (American Literature Compton's).  In the process of doing 
 this, Howells demonstrated how life shaped the characters of his 
 novels and their own motives and inspirations.  By concentrating on 
 these characters' strengths as opposed to a strong plot, he 
 thematically wrote of how life was more good than evil and, in return, 
 wanted his literature to inspire more good.   On the other hand, Henry 
 James judged the world from a perspective "...offered by society and 
 history..." (704). He also separated himself from America to create an 
 unbiased view of it as a "spectator and analyst rather than recorder" 
 (Spiller 169) of the American social structure.  He wrote from a 
 perspective that allowed him to contrast American society with that of 
 Europe by contrasting the peoples' ideas.  By contrasting social 
 values and personal though about America in America, he presented to 
 the people the differing motivational factors that stimulated the 
 different social classes (Bradley 1143).  Overall, these writers 
 managed to very formally portray America as it was while adding their 
 own criticisms about it in an attempt to stimulate change.
         The naturalist movement slowly developed with most of the same 
 ideals as those of the realists in that it attempted to find life's 
 truths.  In contrast, Naturalists, extreme realists, saw the corrupt 
 side of life and how environment "deprived individuals of 
 responsibility" (Elliott 514).  Literary naturalism invited writers to 
 examine human beings objectively, as a "scientist studies nature" 
 ("Am. Lit." Compton's).  In portraying ugliness and cruelty, the 
 authors refrained from preaching about them; rather they left readers 
 to draw their own conclusions about the life they presented.  
 Generally, these authors took a pessimistic view to portray a life 
 that centered on the negative part of man's existence.  When dealing 
 with society directly, naturalists generally detailed the destruction 
 of people without any sentiment.   To do this, they wrote more open 
 about society's problems in a more open manner usually using nature as 
 a symbol for society.  Naturalistic  literature, like realistic, 
 served as a catalyst for change but, in contrast, was a little more 
 like propaganda.  
         Even though only twenty years may have separated them, the 
 transformation from realism/naturalism to modernism was a long one in 
 terms of how much society had changed.  The aforementioned rapid 
 change in American society and America's relation with the rest of the 
 world left America in disarray. After the first World War, American 
 society was divided and left without definition.  This called for a 
 new age of literary expression to control and document the 
 "isolationist fears", "corruption", and "disenchantment" (Bradley 
 1339-1340) caused by the war.  Authors looked to explain their 
 generation and to respond to the "social and moral confusions" (1340). 
  The World War broke down America's fundamental institutions by 
 dehumanizing the people that provided their strong foundations (1339). 
  War diminished the individual identity and the society as a whole.  
 The human personality was "dwarfed" as much by the "...dehumanizing 
 magnitude of modern events..." as by natural laws that con!
 trolled man to their own destiny.
         Authors after World War I created a new literature "of 
 enduring merit...that shattered conventional taboos in their 
 expression of physical and psychological actuality." (Bradley 1339)  
 This was the beginning of modernism.  Modernism, although strongly 
 influenced by realism and often referred to as an extension of 
 naturalistic values, was the answer to America's new-found problems.  
 Modernism promoted and combined the scientific aspects of naturalism 
 along with a psychological examination of the individual and the 
 culture.  By being so experimental (1340) and intense(1337), modernism 
 was able to unite America after a period of crisis.  Modernism 
 centered on "explorations into the spiritual nature of men and the 
 value of his society and institutions." (1337)  Like realism, 
 modernists focused on changes on society (Elliott 699) and used 
 symbolism, although in this case spiritual, to draw their fiction 
 (Bradley 1340).    Modernist writers, like most Americans, were amazed 
 at the destructive power of war on the common man.    
         Writers such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and F. 
 Scott Fitzgerald spearheaded the modernistic renaissance by employing 
 realistic and naturalistic techniques.  Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises 
  details the principle of an "alienation from society that had been 
 forced upon by the circumstances of the time" (Spiller 271).  In this 
 case, it describes a young boy alienated from society because of his 
 involvement in World War I, the "...loss of faith and hope...", and 
 "...collapse of former values..." that occurs (Hart 284).   His 
 earlier works can sometimes be described as containing "characteristic 
 influences of naturalism" (Bradley 1339).  This can be reflected in 
 his "presentation of the strict relations between environment and 
 fate..." (1339).  Later in his career, Hemingway once again took the 
 alienation from society route.  This time, in the spirit of realist 
 Henry James, he separates himself from American society to better 
 judge it.  With his novel The Rolling Hills of Africa, Hemingway 
 compares American culture to that of another.  At times, Hemingway 
 "...began to seem like a little more than a modern realist..."  
 (Spiller Lit His 1300).
         William Faulkner, producer of some of the most important books 
 of the twentieth-century, also draws the connection between 
 environment and fate strongly.  He combines naturalism and 
 primitivism, a literary technique involving clear imagery, to create a 
 sometimes confusing and complex detailed reading that involves 
 "...people of all sorts wealthy and poor, evil and good, slave and 
 free come into sharp focus in his writing." ("Faulkner" Compton's) 
 This idea, much like that of realist James, provides the reader with 
 the whole picture of society.
         The novels and short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald are famous 
 for portraying the "lost generation" of the post-World War I era. 
 Faulkner's moral values were "social rather than personal" 
 ("Fitzgerald" Compton's).  He believes that his writing should address 
 the problems that society has and the problems that he has with 
 society.  Faulkner's prose is ornate and complex. His sentences are 
 long and complicated, and many nouns and adjectives are used. 
 Hemingway's style is quite the opposite. His sentences are short and 
 pointed, and adjectives are used sparingly. The effect is one of great 
 power and compression. By compressing his literary ideas in his 
 writing, he makes his literature easily understood and direct to his 
 readers.
         Many connections can be made between the literature of the 
 late 19th century realism and naturalism and that of post-World War I 
 modernism.  First and most importantly of all, modernists, like 
 realists and naturalists, attacked society's problems by using 
 symbolism to make their own judgments of the basic foundations of 
 American life.  Modernists, such as Ernest Hemingway, looked at 
 American society and compared to that of other cultures of the world. 
  This technique had been extensively employed by such realists as 
 Henry James.  Modernism used the naturalist method of scientifically 
 exploring the individual and the society.  Stylistically, modernists, 
 with the exception of Hemingway, wrote in a very formal, defined form. 
  Modernists and realists both attacked the moral dilemmas in society. 
  The only difference was that these dilemmas were different.
         While that realists attempted to "give a comprehensive picture 
 of modern life..." (502), modernists wished "express the whole 
 experience of modern life." (Elliott 598).  These authors of the 
 realistic and modernistic period had the same goals so naturally they 
 wrote using the same ideas, methods, and principles. Realists focused 
 on different literary aspects to detail how American culture was 
 effected by these changes.  They detailed characters shaped by society 
 and tried to convey the good and evil aspects of life.  Mirroring this 
 technique, modernists portrayed people alienated and rejected from 
 society because of the effects of the first World War.  Both focused 
 on detailing problems facing their characters, externally and 
 internally, while not focusing on plot development.  Thematically, 
 both groups of authors conveyed the good and bad aspects of a  
 changing American society.  Both rallied for change and both asked for 
 the unification of society, but both still lingered more on the 
 presence of corruption in America. 
         The only thing that separated the two movements was the 
 societies around them.  While both societies were experiencing major 
 change quickly, they were so different.  The two literatures had to be 
 distinguished not because of their content and character, which was 
 for the most part the same, but instead because of the differing 
 conditions that existed around the literature.  Even though both 
 wanted to accurately depict life, they were written in two very 
 distinct times in American history.  In one, American culture was 
 expanding and adapting.  In the other, life was being oppressed by the 
 dehumanizing  agents of warfare on a large scale.  As we know, culture 
 influences literature.  Even though these two literary movements may 
 have only been separated by about twenty years, in these twenty years, 
 focus shifted from the interior of American society to how American 
 society was effected by a conflict created as a result of opposing 
 cultures.  This idea of differing cultures produc!
 ing differing literatures provides the basis for the differences in 
 the movements. 
         Modernism after World War I was influenced by the 
 realistic/naturalistic movement of the late Nineteenth century.  The 
 literary goals, techniques, and principles of the modernists and 
 realists/naturalists were the same.  Both wanted to paint an unbiased, 
 accurate picture of society by confronting the problems of the 
 individual and of the society.  To do this, most of the time they 
 resorted to the same techniques.  They created literature that 
 combined scientific reasoning, unidealistic views,  and physical and 
 psychological examination that painted a portrait of society that 
 could be used to help American society adjust, define, and heal.  
 Realists of the late Nineteenth century and modernists of the 1920's 
 wrote alike but were divided on the basis that their respective 
 societies were so different.

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 Works Cited

 "American Literature". Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia (Computer 
 Program) 1995 Bradley, Sculley.  The American Tradition in Literature. 
 New York City: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1967: 1336-1342

 Elliott, Emory. Columbia Literary History of the United States.  New 
 York City:Columbia University Press:1988, 502-504, 599

 "Faulkner, William".  Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia (Computer 
 Program) 1995

 "Fitzgerald, Scott F.". Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia (Computer 
 Program) 1995 Hart, James D. The Oxford Companion to American 
 Literature.  New York City:Oxford University Press, 1995: 284-285

 Pizer, Donald.  Realism and Naturalism.  Carbondale: Southern Illinois 
 University Press, 1966: 3, 10-11

 Spiller, Robert E.  The Cycle of American Literature.  New York City: 
 The MacMillan Company, 1966: 269-303

 Spiller, Robert E. et al. Literary History of the United States.  New 
 York City: The MacMillan Publishing Company, 1974: 1300

 

