Realism vs. Romanticism
...uch used during its time. It lasted from approximately 1820-1865. The main theme of romanticism was nature, and every piece of work included nature in some way. It takes a journey away from civilization and wonders into nature filled with unexpected adventures. The protagonists are childlike, innocent, and have a love of nature. Rip from Rip Van Winkle is a good example of this. He is very childlike in his walk into nature, and is innocent in a way when he wakes up years later. The other writing style used was Realism. Realism came about right after the Civil War, and lasted to until about 1895. It was started as a reaction against romanticism. It takes a look at everyday, ordinary life, and finds out why people react to certain things. Because of this, the characters of realism are ordinary people, and are all of society. The characters in Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas support this. The characters in those ...