After the Romanticism period of the 19th century, European literature moved in the way of what is normally called “ Realism ” . “ Realism ” is “ the true intervention of stuff ” , harmonizing to Realist William Dean Howells. “ Realism ” normally consisted of a faithful imitation of surface item, while making an semblance of existent life. Realist topics lean more towards modern-day, ordinary, and in-between category. The secret plans had to be unnoticeable, made up of incidents of mundane life, capturing the roving, undetermined nature of ordinary experience instead than planing the tensenesss and flood tides of traditional secret plans. The linguistic communication of Realism besides had to be every bit natural or at least give the feeling of being so. On the other manus, “ Naturalism, ” “ is based on a really different philosophical position, a post-Darwinian signifier of scientific finding in which people are the captives of their biological heritage and societal environment. ” The Naturalist abandoned the in-between category pulling suites of the realist for the “ lower degree ” , “ working-class scenes where the impact of the environment was particularly clear, and for violent, animalistic characters who inherited thrusts through hungriness and sex, seemed more graphic. “ Naturalism, ” for all the scientific objectiveness, was even a better position of the in-between category than pragmatism had been. Life for the Naturalist is deterministic and mechanistic. Man was n’t free nature. He acted like an animate being motivated by his chemical science, his familial nature, and his milieus or fortunes. Man was viewed as a lab instance survey during naturalism. The characters seemed to be selected from the lower category degree of life. Naturalist believed that society was the adversary of adult male moving like societal reformists through their Hagiographas. The naturalist besides believed adult male equals the amount of his heredity plus his environment. In the memoir of “ Life on the Mississippi, ” by realist Mark Twain versus the realistic attack of “ The Lost Phoebe, ” by naturalist Theodore Dreiser seemed to darken all while comparing the societal scene, objectiveness, and motive between the two.
The societal scene for Realist Mark Twain in “ Life on the Mississippi ” was more of a in-between category scene. Twain described how the adult male talked stating, “ He used all kinds of steamboat trifles in his talk, as if he were so used to them that he forgot common people could non understand them. ” Whereas, in Dreiser ‘s “ The Lost Phoebe, “ the characters seem to be more of the lower category utilizing two negatives in a sentence, “ You ai n’t ne’er minded to allow my things entirely no more. ” “ Henry ” who is the supporter in “ The Lost Phoebe ” , was evidently uneducated and from the lower rank of society.
Looking at the objectiveness between “ Life on the Mississippi ” versus “ The Lost Phoebe, ” Twain gives accurate observation seting the reader at that place. Twain describes how the steamboatman looks after acquiring off the boat and coming place to his household stating, “ He would come place and swell around the town in his blackest and greasiest apparels, so that cipher could assist retrieving that he was a steamboatman. ” Whereas, in “ The Lost Phoebe, ” Dreiser compares “ Henry ” to an impersonal instance survey stating, “ An uneven figure in the Sun and rain, on dust-covered roads and boggy 1s, encountered on occasion in unusual and unexpected topographic points, prosecuting his eternal hunt. ” The position of “ Henry ” is a little more distant, doing the reader difficult to link with his character.
Finally, the motive between “ Life on the Mississippi ” and “ The Lost Phoebe ” is rather different. “ Life on the Mississippi ” has a more realistic attack of humane apprehension. The male child ‘s dream was to be a steamboatman, turning up as a kid, “ The desire to be a steamboatman kept intruding. ” The male child finally turns his dream into world, “ By the shadow of decease, but he ‘s a lightning pilot! ” At the terminal of the narrative, he ends up accomplishing his dreams and turning them into world. On the other manus, in “ The Lost Phoebe, ” “ Henry ” is in hunt of his dead married woman, “ Phoebe. ” This is an unrealistic attack to his life. “ Henry ” searches for several old ages, but ne’er finds her. “ It was in the 7th twelvemonth of these hopeless peregrinations. ” The minute he thinks he has found her, he walks off a drop and dies, “ ‘Oh, delay, Phoebe! ‘ and leaped. ” The hapless cat ‘s life and motive was sad and unrealistic.
Overall, “ Realism ” is more connecting and pleasant to read. “ Twain ” tells “ life on the Mississippi ” in a humourous manner. The “ Realism ” in this memoir seemed more fulfilling and less of a catastrophe. Twain told this memoir from a immature, naif, boy ‘s position, taking to a positive result of a small male child ‘s dream turning into world. In “ The Lost Phoebe, ” “ Henry ” seemed to be lost most of his life. He searched for seven old ages, and no 1 cares adequate to state him his married woman has passed off. Alternatively the characters merely made the state of affairs worse as the old ages went by. The hapless cat had high hopes to happen his married woman who he believed was n’t dead. The other characters merely went along with what he was stating knowing that he would ne’er happen his married woman. They merely sat back and watched the hapless, old, malnourished adult male melt off and finally go through a manner. He dies happy, even though he ne’er truly finds his married woman. “ Naturalism ” and its mentality on life seems to be a small more rough and difficult to accept. Most naturalists are atheist. They do n’t saccharify coat life and paint the pretty image of what society wants to see. While “ Realism ” gives you a mirror to look in at life, “ Naturalism ” hits you with the mirror.