American Literature II.pptx - American Literature II 1865...

American Literature II
1865 to the present

William Dean Howells (1837-1920)
•
A realist who stated: “Realism is
nothing more or less than the truthful
treatment of material”
•
He believed fiction could make its
greatest contribution by telling stories
of everyday life, especially the
motives and actions of ordinary men
and women
•
The character of Editha in the text by
the same name is a perfect example
of his idea of “real people” acting
badly…

Kate Chopin (1850-1904)
•
A regionalist and realist
•
Described the tension and the
constraints placed on women,
especially, by traditional social
mores of the times
•
She couldn’t stand the outdated
social ideology of the times in
which she lived and wrote to
give women a voice in a society
that silenced them

Charles Chesnutt (1858-1932)
•
A realist
•
Challenged the most entrenched
social conventions of the time
including racial identification and
hierarchy, power relations between
the races, the tensions inherent in
blacks “passing” as white & the
absurdity of laws prohibiting
interracial marriage