Modernism and Realism

Although the literary genres, or movements, of Realism and Modernism were during different times and are truly different overall, they do share many common boundaries. Each also had very different times in which their respective writers thrived which were mainly shaped by the wars of that period. For instance, World War I played maybe the largest role in many writers' work during the Modernism movement (Anderson). In regards to the overall advancement in literature, each period played a very crucial part as it correlated with the developing nation as well.

Realism can probably best be described as, "the attempt to depict life as it actually exists, not as the author wants it to be in the present or the future, or imagines it was in the past" (Werlock). During this time in our country's history, the nation was expanding West toward the Pacific, new industries were sprouting, and the economy was essentially booming, if one could really say that. This provided the authors to write about an array of topics. One well known Realist author is named Mark Twain. During his time of writing, he lived in the Southern part of the country, and he was not too involved with this big westward expansion. He decided to keep a very Realist style which is especially exhibited in his descriptiveness throughout the majority of his work. He really seemed to enjoy detailing many of the river scenes around his home. On of the important details of Realism is descriptiveness because this is truly how the situation occurs most of the time (Werlock). I Walt Whitman were to be put into the category of Realism, he would exhibit the Realism quality of speaking the truth in his poetry. For example, he was a great admirer of President Abraham Lincoln, and when Lincoln died, all Whitman could do was write about what was truly going on not only personally, but the impact on the rest of the nation as well.

One main characteristic that makes Modernism differ between Realism is the fact that Modernist writers essentially had a sort of disillusionment that ultimately controlled everything around them, as compared to Realists who portrayed the world as it really happened. An excellent example of this Modernism view comes from John Steinbeck. He commonly wrote about the effects of the Great Depression on the citizens of America, and many peoples' disillusionment shone through, such as when they thought there would be an abundance of jobs if they just moved West. A great similarity that Modernism shares with Realism however, is a sense of experimentation. This is more prevalent during th time of Modernism when writers were trying new views not only with their overall style, but with the littler details as well. For instance, the heroes in both genres are certainly not the typical hero whom you or I may think of. In Modernism, the hero is usually not at all infallible or perfect, but in fact he is just a normal man with imperfections. But what does make him a hero in literature is his ability to have grace in high pressure situations. This is very similar to the hero of Realism. This man is a normal person, due to the fact that he is life as it really is. Out of everything, Modernism and Realism are quite similar although they were during two very different times in history, which is what ultimately separates them.

Works Cited

Anderson, George Parker. "modernism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. April 6, 2011.

Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. April 6, 2011.