Historical and Cultural Connections – Introduction to Realism
As you have learned, there were many changes in America starting in the second half of the 19th century that together spurred the development of a new literary movement known today as Realism. Now that you have studied many of the events and factors that contributed to this change in thinking and writing, create a timeline that illustrates clearly the major events that led to or resulted from the rise of Realism in American literature. You should look for events that were contributing factors to the development of Realism as well as events marking literary milestones, such as the publication of works by such authors as Ambrose Bierce, Jack London, Willa Cather, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Kate Chopin, Upton Sinclair, or Mark Twain, to name a few examples.
Your timeline should span from approximately 1850 to 1914 and include at least three specific events related to each of the following areas:
- The Civil War
- Westward expansion
- The treatment of slaves or minorities
- Industrialization and the expansion of cities
You should organize these events in chronological order on your timeline. Each event should include a description of what happened and when it happened as well as an appropriate label and image that correspond to each event. You can design your timeline horizontally, vertically, or in another format as long as it is well-organized.
Before you begin, review the Realism Illustrated Timeline Rubric to help you complete your assignment and understand how your work will be graded. You will need to use resources outside of this course to complete this assignment, so please submit a Works Cited document with your assignment submission. If you need assistance, visit the Developmental Module for information on citing resources.
Options to create your timeline include the following:
- Hand-draw the assignment and then take a picture of it for submission to the assignment's dropbox.
- Hand-draw the assignment and then scan it for submission to the assignment's dropbox.
- Utilize a paint, publishing, word processing, presentation, or graphics software program to create the assignment.
- Use a mobile or computer-based application to create the timeline. Then, email or export the final product for submission to the assignment’s dropbox.
Once you have completed your illustrated timeline, please submit your work with the Works Cited document to the dropbox