The Rise Of Silas Lapham

Verisimilitude is the ‘appearance of truth’ or having all components in the play joining together to ensure that the play is believable, which ruled out previously acceptable

In the 1800’s, many writers became tired of the romanticized writing that had been popular during that time. Because of the Romantic movement, many writers wanted a real view of the world, not a sugar-coated fantasy. Therefore, the Realism movement was born. Stories such as “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce and “An Episode of War” by Stephen Crane were created. These authors focused on real life and the fact that life is unfair and is to be taken seriously. The stories also use many literary techniques to show the reality of the world.

Realism is the period in American literature from 1860 to 1890. This movement in writing focused on writing about how things really appeared and how they really were instead of writing in a dark manner. The stories, Life On The Mississippi and The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County written by Mark Twain best represent the realism movement in American literature at this time.

Realism is shown through the way the story is set up. When the two men are speaking, proper gestures and mannerisms are used that are very realistic to what might be used in real life (Twain 1). Twain also uses local color as a form of realism in his story. He speaks of Western culture, clothes, and activities (Twain 1-2). This is a common theme or characteristic of realism: realistic events. Another point of realism is that the diction is natural. During the conversing of the two, Wheeler and the narrator, the dialect is spoken just how an Easterner and a Westerner would speak. Wheeler uses words such as “feller” instead of fellow and “yaller” instead of yellow (Twain 1). Reading these words, the reader can obviously see that the man is undereducated, which a characteristic of naturalism as well. Another reason why this story is a work of realism is simply that it depicts events that could happen in real life. Jim Smiley himself is the ideal Realism hero. He is an ordinary man who lived in a small town. This story by Twain has many elements of both Realism and Naturalism.

Author, Ambrose Bierce, who is considered one of the Great American authors, wrote during the realism period. Particularly, in his work titled An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, written in 1890, we can see evidence of the characteristics, themes and style identified with the realism movement which was extant in American letters between 1850 and 1900. As a representative of such a movement, Ambrose Bierce, then remains on the most identifiable and iconic writers of his time.

    One of the most notable techniques of realism was the simplicity of its writing and dialogue. Realism usually followed the adventures and life of the common person, therefore in order to accurately portray the average man authors had to drop the fancy words and grammar of romanticism and pick up the simple dialect of daily life. Twain is best known for his ability to replicate dialogue in this way. He would usually break the rules of grammar and spelling to capture the accents of an area, as seen in his story “ The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Cavalier County”. “H'm so 'tis. Well, what's he good for… Well, I don't see no p'ints about that frog that's any

The literary movement of realism addresses material in an accurate way that is true to life, regardless of the moral boundaries which may be broken. Several authors have undertaken efforts to define this movement in the most accurate and concise way possible. Theodore Dreiser, in “True Art Speaks Plainly”, strives to identify those components which are necessary to literature that is classified under the realism movement. William Dean Howells’s “Editha” is a literary work that reflects this definition of realism. Dreiser’s arguments regarding the presence of immorality in literature as a precondition for artistic honesty find an example in the actions of the protagonist of Howells’s story. Theodore Dreiser’s “True Art Speaks Plainly” defines realism as literature that speaks the truth regardless of its moral substance, and this definition is observable in Howells’s “Editha” through the corrupt motivations of the protagonist, the critical portrayal of nation states at war, and the ugly manipulation utilized by the protagonist.

In the novel, The Rise of Silas Lapham, William Dean Howells makes a particular point about the morals of an individual in the business world. His point is that an individual, such as Silas, must check their morals at the door if they have any plans to make it in the business world. The novel has always been popular, partly because it presents Lapham's financial and social failure as "consciously and deliberately chosen" when he has to decide whether he shall cheat and stay on top in business or tell the truth and fail irrecoverably (Gibson 283). The Rise of Silas Lapham is a novel that deals with the potential moral corruption of a man by money. The outward signs of Silas Lapham's

Realism can be defined as view in which the author tries to depict life as truthfully and accurately as possible. The use of realistic or lifelike settings described by the author or narrated by a character, add a layer of realism to the story, even if the story itself is fictitious. The characters themselves are often portrayed as believable as possible, to the point that the character being described could actually exist; they are often depicted as very average people, void of extreme wealth, influence, or astounding abilities. The reason characters and settings are often

Realism occurs everyday, one may not know but its the reason why know not everyone gets to live their lives to a happy ending, its the reason why sometimes you can't get everything you want in your life. Realism is the attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly. Realism is a trend which takes place in the nineteenth century during which literature depicted life "as is," and focuses on real life. This literary movement frequently depicted everyday life; it follows the rule of a phenomenal world and that nothing is added to your life. It is the reverse job of what a filter would do to all the troubles that one may encounter later in life. Realism is

Realism is the artistic attempt to recreate life as it is in the context of an artistic medium. It began as a revolt against the conventions of the classic view of art in the late 1800s in America and Europe in the form of an artistic movement (McConnel, R. 1997). There are many themes involved with realism that shall be discussed. These include accuracy and independence.

William Dean Howells was an American novelist and critic who significantly influenced the American society and the literature world in the 19th and 20th century America. Born on March 1st, 1837 in Ohio, Howells became a writer at a young age. Howells is best known for his realist writings that focused on depicting the lives of the middle class Americans. His realist novels often depict the social issues in post-Civil War America. Howells is considered as the “father of realism” and is recognized as a major American writer who was a contributor to American literature (William Dean Howells).

In the Story “The Rise of Silas Lapham,” written by William Dean Howells, Silas’s desire to conform to the standards of society is the root of his company’s downfall but the rise of his understanding and morals. The society Silas is trying to feel accepted by is very judgmental and vain and do not care about others therefore making it very tough for the Laphams to be accepted or even feel somewhat normal where they are living. Persis is a significant character in the novel because in the end she is why Silas does the things he does because she bestowed good morals in him. The last attempts to fit in with the community is the building and destruction of the house. These are all very significant events to the story leading up to Silas last

Realism, in contrast to Romanticism, represents the reality of life in America. From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, America experienced enormous industrial, economic, social, and cultural change. Realism focuses on showing everyday activities and events among the middle and lower class society without romantic ideas. In the early 20th century people started to pull away from fantasy and started focusing on the reality around them. Realism emphasises on truth, class, and social commentary.

Realism was a huge movement in late 1800s to early 1900s. All art forms were influenced by it. Writers, artists, actors and more started taking a more simple direction and tried to depict life as it actually was. In visual art it was common to see ordinary people doing every day