StephenCrane’s
“An Episode ofWar” / Name: Block:
Literary Analysis: Realism andNaturalism
Realism is a type of literature that tries to show people and their lives as realistically as possible. Authors whowritematerial within this literary movement focus on ordinary people rather than on exaggerated models of idealisticbehavior.Often such writers emphasize the harsh realities of ordinary daily life, even though their characters arefictional.
Naturalism expands on the base begun by realism. Writers who create naturalistic literature follow the traits ofrealism,buttheyaddtheideasthatpeopleandtheirlivesareoftendeeplyaffectedbynaturalforcessuchasheredity,environment,orevenchance.Peoplecannotcontrolsuchforces,yettheymustcarryonthebestwaytheycan.
The main difference between the two movements is that naturalism emphasizes the lack of control its realisticcharactershaveoverthechangestakingplaceintheirlives.Theinfluenceofbothliterarymovementscanoftenbeseeninthesamepieceof literature, such as “An Episode of War” by StephenCrane.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passages from “An Episode of War.” Tell whether youthinkeach one reflects realism, naturalism, or both. Explain youranswer.
1.Hewasonthevergeof a greattriumph in mathematics,and the corporalswerethrongingforward,each to reap a littlesquare [of coffee], when suddenly the lieutenant cried out and looked quickly at a man near him as if he suspecteditwas a case of personal assault. The others cried out also when they saw blood upon the lieutenant’ssleeve.
Realism, Naturalism, orboth:
Explain:
2. When he reached home, his sisters, his mother, his wife, sobbed for a long time at the sight of the flat sleeve.“Oh,well,” he said, standing shamefaced amid these tears. “I don’t suppose it matters so much as allthat.”
Realism, Naturalism, orboth:
Explain:
3.Cite two further examples of Realism and Naturalism in thisstory:
RealismNaturalism
Comprehension and AnalysisQuestions
4.How does what the lieutenant is doing when he is wounded make him a sympatheticcharacter?
5.How does Crane describe the reaction of the men around the lieutenant at thetime?
6.What are three things that the wounded soldier notice on his journey away from the line ofbattle?
a.
b.
c.
7.What are three details does Crane uses to describe the fieldhospital?
a.
b.
c.
8.What is ironic about the doctor’s reaction to the lieutenant’s woundedarm?
9.According to the Naturalists, humans are weak and ineffectual beings at the mercy of deterministic forces. Defend this statement using examples from “An Episode of War.”
10.Why might the textbook authors have chosen to pair “An Episode of War” with “Willie Has Gone to the War”?