Realism and Naturalism Practice Questions

Correct answer: William Dean Howells

As the editor of Atlantic Monthly, Howells was the leading proponent of American Realism. He advocated for literature that centered on the everyday lives of ordinary people rather than the idealized heroes of Romanticism.

Correct answer: Heredity, Instinct, and Environment

Naturalism applies post-Darwinian scientific principles to fiction. It posits that human beings are 'human beasts' whose lives are governed by internal biological drives and external socioeconomic pressures beyond their control.

Correct answer: Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

Crane's novella depicts the inevitable downfall of a young woman in the Bowery slums. It illustrates the Naturalist theme that the environment and poverty are inescapable traps that determine moral and physical decay.

Correct answer: The internal consciousness and perceptions of characters

James shifted the focus of Realism from outward social description to the 'inner world' of the mind. He explored how characters perceive events and the subtle nuances of social and moral choices.

Correct answer: To capture the specific speech, dress, and customs of a particular region

Regionalism sought to preserve the distinct identities of American locales during a time of rapid industrialization. Writers like Sarah Orne Jewett and Mark Twain used dialect and local detail to ground their stories in reality.

Correct answer: The animalistic instincts that surface under extreme pressure

Naturalists believed that beneath the veneer of civilization, humans possess primal instincts. Works like Jack London's 'The Call of the Wild' or Frank Norris's 'McTeague' explore how these 'brute' impulses drive human behavior.

Correct answer: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Twain's use of Huckleberry Finn's first-person, uneducated voice was a revolutionary move for American Realism. The novel strips away the romanticism of the antebellum South to show its moral contradictions and systemic racism.

Correct answer: Indifferent and hostile to human suffering

Naturalism often features a 'cosmic indifference' where nature and the universe are unconcerned with human morality or survival. This is famously seen in Stephen Crane's 'The Open Boat,' where the sea is a cold, mechanical force.

Correct answer: Refused to punish its 'fallen' female protagonist with tragedy

Unlike Victorian novels where 'sinful' women had to suffer, Carrie Madenda survives and succeeds despite her moral compromises. Dreiser's Naturalist lens viewed her choices as logical responses to the urban environment.

Correct answer: Realism allows characters some moral choice, while Naturalism sees lives as predetermined

Realists focus on characters making ethical decisions within social contexts. Naturalists, however, are determinists who believe that biology and sociology remove true agency from the individual.

Correct answer: Detached and clinical

Naturalists often adopted the stance of a scientist observing an experiment. The narrator remains objective and provides data-like descriptions of the characters' struggles without moralizing or intervening.

Correct answer: The oppressive reality of the industrial working class

Published in 1861, this novella was one of the first to expose the 'underside' of the American dream. It used vivid, unsparing detail to describe the physical and spiritual toll of factory labor.

Correct answer: The conflict between a woman's identity and the roles of wife and mother

Chopin portrays Edna Pontellier's internal 'awakening' with psychological honesty. The novel's realistic depiction of female desire and dissatisfaction with domesticity was scandalous in the late 19th century.

Correct answer: It focuses on character development over dramatic action

In Realism, 'character is more important than action and plot.' Events are usually plausible and motivated by the social and psychological complexity of the characters rather than sensationalist turns.

Correct answer: The power of the railroad monopoly over wheat farmers

Norris used the 'Octopus' as a metaphor for the Wheat Growers' Association's battle against the Pacific and Southwestern Railroad. It illustrates how massive economic 'forces' destroy individuals regardless of their personal morality.

Correct answer: The Yellow Wallpaper

Gilman used her own experience with mental health treatment to write this Realistic account of a woman's descent into madness. It serves as a sharp critique of the patriarchal medical practices of the era.

Correct answer: Romanticism

Realists rejected the 'idealized' views and emotional exaggerations of Romanticism. They sought to portray the 'verisimilitude' (the appearance of truth) of post-Civil War American life.

Correct answer: To Build a Fire

In 'To Build a Fire,' the protagonist's lack of imagination and the overwhelming power of the cold lead to his death. The story emphasizes that nature is a mechanical force that does not care about human survival.

Correct answer: Double Consciousness

Double consciousness describes the Realistic psychological experience of Black Americans who must view themselves through their own eyes and through the eyes of a racist society. It provided a complex, Realistic lens for understanding racial identity.

Correct answer: It created demand for honest, un-romanticized accounts of life

The brutality of the Civil War shattered the optimistic, Romantic worldviews of the mid-19th century. Writers felt that only a Realistic style could capture the fragmented and harsh new reality of the country.

Correct answer: An objective, almost scientific observer of human behavior.

Naturalism was heavily influenced by the scientific method and Darwinism. Narrators in these works often adopt a detached, clinical tone to observe how heredity and environment shape characters.

Correct answer: Realism explores the gritty details of middle and lower-class life.

Realism sought to portray life as it actually was, which meant moving away from the 'high' subjects of Romanticism. It focused on the everyday experiences and social struggles of the common person.

Correct answer: Authentic regional dialect and vernacular.

Twain's use of local dialects was a hallmark of Regionalism, a branch of Realism. By capturing the way people actually spoke, he provided a more truthful representation of the American South.

Correct answer: External and internal forces beyond human control dictate outcomes.

Determinism is a core tenet of Naturalism, positing that a character's fate is decided by factors like heredity, environment, and chance, rather than individual choice or 'soul'.

Correct answer: The interior consciousness and motivations of the protagonist.

Henry James moved Realism inward, focusing on the complex mental and emotional states of his characters. This 'Psychological Realism' explores why characters act rather than just what they do.

Correct answer: It symbolizes the indifference of nature toward human suffering.

Crane's story is a classic of Naturalism because it depicts nature as completely indifferent to the plight of the men. Their survival is a matter of chance, not morality or bravery.

Correct answer: William Dean Howells

William Dean Howells is often called the 'Dean of American Letters.' He advocated for a literature that dealt with the 'smiling aspects' of American life and the faithful representation of reality.

Correct answer: Under extreme stress, humans revert to primitive, animalistic survival instincts.

Naturalists believed that beneath the veneer of civilization, humans are driven by basic biological urges. In crises, these 'brute' instincts often override social conditioning.

Correct answer: The rapid urbanization and industrialization of America.

The shift from a rural to an industrial society created harsh urban environments. Naturalist writers used these settings to explore how crowded, poor conditions impacted human development.

Correct answer: It focuses on the internal reality of a woman's suppressed desire for freedom.

The story is realistic in its unflinching look at the constraints of marriage for women in the 19th century. It captures a private, psychological 'truth' that was often ignored in traditional literature.

Correct answer: Focusing on the unique customs, speech, and setting of a specific region.

Local Color, or Regionalism, sought to preserve the distinct characteristics of various American locales (like the West or the South) as the country became more standardized due to industrialization.

Correct answer: Hereditary greed and a crushing environment.

Norris uses McTeague to demonstrate Naturalist principles, showing how the character's inherited 'foul stream' of blood and his environment lead him to violence and ruin.

Correct answer: A 'Deus ex Machina' where a hero is saved by a sudden miracle.

Realists valued 'verisimilitude' (the appearance of being true). They avoided improbable coincidences or miraculous endings because they did not reflect the 'actual' world.

Correct answer: Providing a realistic psychological portrait of the African American experience.

Du Bois's work brought a Realistic lens to the internal conflict of Black Americans. It described the sociological and psychological 'reality' of seeing oneself through the eyes of a prejudiced society.

Correct answer: A tragic or pessimistic conclusion where the protagonist is defeated.

Because Naturalism emphasizes the power of environment and heredity over the individual, the ending is usually one of decline or 'entropy,' reflecting the harsh reality of the struggle for existence.

Correct answer: It led them to view humans as animals subject to biological laws.

Darwinism provided the intellectual framework for Naturalism. Writers applied the concepts of 'survival of the fittest' and 'adaptation' to human social and psychological settings.

Correct answer: Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner

Twain and Warner's novel 'The Gilded Age' mocked the greed and political corruption of the post-Civil War era, using Realist satire to expose the 'gold plating' over social problems.

Correct answer: The rigid social codes and economic limitations of New York high society.

Wharton’s work is a 'Realism of Manners.' It shows how the environment of the elite class—with its unwritten rules and economic traps—can deterministically destroy an individual.

Correct answer: The view that the universe is indifferent or even hostile to human life.

Naturalists often depicted a 'cold' universe. This perspective suggests that human morality and desires have no impact on the vast, mechanical forces of nature and society.

Correct answer: It depicts a woman's rise to success through luck and 'drift' rather than moral merit.

The novel was scandalous because Carrie succeeds despite 'sinning,' and Hurstwood falls despite his status. This showed that success and failure are often products of environmental 'drift' rather than moral character.