Justyna Rapacz
Rachel Vongvilay
AP Literature and Composition
2 November 2014
Annotated Bibliography: Realism/Naturalism
Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 5th ed. San Francisco: Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc., 1988. 152-154. Print.
This piece from A Glossary of Literary Terms focuses on the definitions of Realism and Naturalism. It goes on to explain that realism favors the usage of mundane aspects in literature. Realistic fiction includes ordinary characters, settings, and plots. Naturalism is also defined as a moving away from religious and spiritual worlds, and focuses on more natural and human-like components. This piece can be used to solidify the claim that Realism and Naturalism concentrate on common and realistic details in literature.
"The Norton Anthology of Western Literature." W. W. Norton & Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
This was written by a company that documented each era of literature, thus making it an unbiased and reliable article. It is divided into two sections, one about society and culture, while the other is about the actual literature of the era. The society and culture paragraph gives insight into the social changes that were happening in the 19th century such as the industrial revolution, the emergence of the middle class, and urbanization. It also talks about how people were shying away from religion and literature was becoming a new medium. The literature paragraph gives examples of authors from the era and goes into a description of the purpose of Realism literature. It also talks about Naturalism and how there was an importance placed on the environment. This will be used as background information on the historical aspect of the Realism era and its purpose.
"Realism in American Literature." Realism in American Literature. Washington State University, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
This article was written by Washington State University, thus making it a reputable source. The article explains how realism revolved around closely depicting reality and its emphasis on verisimilitude. It talks about the shift from Romanticism to Realism and how it focused on science and logic. It took ordinary events and tried to extract the meaning from them. It also mentions many defining characteristics of the era, which I can use as tenets like about the simple diction and relation to nature. It even included many outside sourced and their view on Realism.
Scheidenhelm, Carol. American Literary History: Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism. Loyola University, 14 Aug. 2007. Web. 2 Nov. 2014
The Realism era lasted from around 1861 to 1914. This article explains how Realism came to be and how it was used to the reader’s benefit. Realism is about recreating life in literature and how it can relate to the reader and the reader’s life. It challenges the ideas of Idealism, Nominalism, and Romanticism. It relates to the tenets of Realism because it illustrates the emphasis of humans being in control of their lives, not a superpower. It also accentuates the use of common events being used in literature so that it is significant to the readers.