Realism, Naturalism, and Regionalism - Prof's Notes

The period introduction to the Norton Anthology gives an overview that helps orient readers to the stylistic issues of importance in late 19th-century fiction.  "Realism" can easily become a watered-down synonym for "realistic" but a summary of key points may help keep the special meaning clear:

1. Truthful presentation, in the sense of   a "documentary" method devoted to some precision of setting, representativeness of characters: "to create the illusion of everyday life being lived by ordinary people in familiar surroundings--life seen through a glass window" (7).
2. The Reality which is the subject may be historical, social, pyschological or moral; depiction of speech dialects appropriate to the characteristics of speakers may also be an aim.
3. Remains a representation--literature does not equal real life, experience, etc. but can approach or present it with verisimilitude; quality of the language, characterization, role of the narrator, specificity of setting ... all contribute; most writers and critics recognize that the selectivity and artifice of writing mean it can only "seem" natural.

For our purposes, Naturalism and Regionalism can be considered special variants of realism.

Naturalism emphasizes: a deterministic perspective on the forces that shape human lives and behavior (cf. Darwin: adaptation, competition, environment).


Regionalism emphasizes: the distinctive character of particular places/people, sometimes with a nostalgic attitude reflecting the perception of a vanishing way of life; sometimes written to preserve aspects of this life or to interrogate them; many regionalist writers were women (as were many readers).

*A further distinction, sometimes "local color" is used to disparage regionalist writing in which the narrator looks at the characters, as if from a distance. (see Chesnut)The contrast would be a perspective that shares the views of characters and their world.

Harris, Chesnut, Chopin, and Twain have all been seen as realists, with the first three often also called regionalists. Their characters resemble ordinary folks; they use speech-like dialogue; places and events are historically plausible; setting often reinforces the notion that one is reading stories pertaining to people of a specific place/time.