William Dean Howells Edith The Role Of Realism In American Literature

The realism literary time period can often be described as an individual’s direct or literal interpretation of a subject matter. From 1865 to 1914, realist writers flourished as they forced out romantic ideals and expanded into a new, factual literary front. Donna Campbell in “Realism in American Literature” states that many realist writers “wrote fiction devoted to accurate representation and an exploration of American lives in various contexts” (1). During this time period, many Americans were devoted to removing European influences and had started to picture their surroundings exactly as they were, with a large emphasis on the lives of the middle-class and the consequences of their actions. Realist writers often focused on the characters of their works so that the choices and actions of the American culture could be highlighted through the actions of the

This shift inspired many to investigate and find the truthful causes of problems, give rise to form a social identity through both an individual and his community, and establish a separate identity from those that infringe personal freedoms. The American realism literary time period is hallowed in the works of William Dean Howells. Howells is often credited with the establishment of realism in American literature when he concluded that “Realism is nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material” (2). Howells’ short story, “Editha” demonstrates a plethora of realistic characteristics and generates many American ideologies by establishing the definition of the “American” expectation. “Editha” opens with a direct representation of the lives of the middle-class during the commencement of an unnamed war: “the air was thick with the war feeling … Editha sat … panting with the intensity of the question whether she could let him go” (307). Editha’s emotional conflict portrays the American view of