The Cambridge Introduction to American Literary Realism

The most wide-ranging and sophisticated account of American literary realism currently available for students.

Introduction: American literary realism; 1. Literary precursors, literary contexts; 2. The 'look of agony' and everyday middle-class life: three transitional works; 3. Creating the 'odor' of the real: techniques of realism; 4. Conflicting manners: high realism and social competition; 5. 'Democracy in literature'? Literary regionalism; 6. 'The blab of the pave': realism and the city; 7. Crisis of agency: literary naturalism, the changing economy, and 'masculinity'; 8. 'Certain facts of life': realism and feminism; 9. 'The unjust spirit of caste': race and realism; 10. New Americans write realism; Conclusion: realisms after realism; Further reading; Index.