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1、TheAgeofRealismHowtodefinetheRealisticPeriodinAmericanliteraryhistory?Theperiodrangingfrom1865tol914hasbeenreferredtoastheAgeofRealismintheliteraryhistoryoftheUnitedStates,whichisactuallyamovementortendencythatdominatedthespiritofAmericanliterature,especiallyAmericanf
2、iction,fromthe1850sonwards.RealismwasareactionagainstRomanticismoramoveawayfromthebiastowardsromanceandself-creatingfictions,anditpavedthewaytoModernism.Insteadofthinkingabouttheirrational,theimaginative,realiststoucheduponsocialandpoliticalrealitiesandpressuresinthep
3、ost-CivilWarsociety.ThreedominantfiguresareWilliamDeanHowells,MarkTwain,andHenryJames.WilliamDeanHowells,thearbiterof19thcenturyliteraryrealisminAmericadefinedRealismas“nothingmoreandnothinglessthanthetruthfultreatmentofmaterial”,as“fidelitytoexperienceandprobabilityo
4、fmotive”,asaquestoftheaverageandthehabitualratherthantheexceptionalortheuniquelyhighorlow,i.e.todonothingmorethan“talkofsomeordinarytraitsofAmericanlife”.Engelsdefineditas“typicalcharacterintypicalenvironment”.Althoughdifferentrealistshavedifferentviews,theydosharesom
5、ebasicprinciplesincommonRealistsinsistonanddefendtheexperienced,commonplace(orordinary,usual),depicthumanlifeasitreallyis;Philosophyofrealism:non-transcendental,donotpassbeyondthelimitsofhumanexperiencesPurposeofart:toinstructandtoplease;Thesubjectmatter:drawnfrom“our
6、experience”,shouldreflectthecommon,average,theunextreme,therepresentative(typical)andtheprobable;Incharacterization:beliefinhumancontrollingtheirdestinies.Charactersactedontheirenvironmentratherthansimplyreactingtoit.“characterissuperiortocircumstance”.Realistsareagai
7、nsttheextraordinary,theabstract.Thehistoricalandsocio-culturalbackgroundofAmericanRealismTheAmericansocietyaftertheCivilWarprovidedrichsoilfortheriseanddevelopmentofRealism.Thisperiodischaracterizedwithchanges,inrelationtoeveryaspectofAmericanlife,politically,economic
8、ally,culturally,andreligiously.Firstofall,politically,theCivilWaraffectedboththesocialandthevaluesystemofthecountry.Americah
