American Realism

KLIATT

As stated in the Foreword, the premise of this Greenhaven Series is that "by focusing on literary movements and genres, readers gain a greater appreciation of influence of historical events and social circumstances on the development of particular literary forms and themes." This volume begins with "A Historical Overview of American Realism." The remaining 15 essays are divided into five chapters: "Defining Realism," "The Rise of Naturalism," "Class, Race, and Gender in American Realism," "The Small Town in American Realism," and "Realism After 1914." The volume concludes with a brief chronology of significant literary, social, and historical events as well as suggestions for further reading. The editor attempts to make the essays more accessible to students by employing several techniques. The Table of Contents contains a brief annotation of each essay. A second and slightly longer annotation precedes the essay. Most importantly, the original articles "may have been edited for content, length, an/or reading level." Documentation is provided so that the article in its original form may be located if desired. In theory, this approach has much merit and in practice, it is largely successful. Among the essayists are such notables as Edwin H. Cady, Charles C. Walcutt, Donald Pizer, Alfred Kazin, and Eric J. Sundquist. The Age of Realism is defined as the years 1865-1914, the period between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of WW I. These were years of tremendous change in America. Technological advances and the movement from farm life to city life were accompanied by confusion and uncertainty. As the editor notes in the Overview, "One should always approach and explore AmericanRealism with an eye to its attempt to reflect and make sense of these immense national transformations and contradictions." Several of the essays explore the works of Mark Twain, William Dean Howells, and Henry James. Others examine the works of writers such as Kate Chopin, Sarah Orne Jewett, Stephen Crane, Theodore Dreiser, Frank Norris, and Upton Sinclair. This text provides an excellent foundation for further study of this important literary movement. Readers will become aware of the major writers of the period as well as some of their most significant works. The editor of the Introduction reminds us that the work of such writers as Saul Bellow, Joyce Carol Oates, Anne Tyler, and John Updike "attests to the durability and continuing relevance of Realism both in American literature and American life." Other titles in the series include: American Modernism, American Romanticism, Elizabethan Drama, Greek Drama, and Victorian Literature. (The Greenhaven Press Companion to Literary Movements and Genres) KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2000, Greenhaven, 208p. bibliogs. index. 22cm. 99-053714., $14.96. Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Anthony J. Pucci; English Dept. Chair., Notre Dame H.S., Elmira, NY , July 2001 (Vol. 35, No. 4)