Realism in Fiction

An analysis of three stories: Bret Harte's "The Outcasts of Poker Flat," Sarah Orne Jewett's "The White Heron," and Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat".

1,131 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes three different American short stories: Bret Harte's "The Outcasts of Poker Flat," Sarah Orne Jewett's "The White Heron," and Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat". In particular, the author looks at the stories with regard to the different forms of realism in fiction - being naturalism, local color, and regionalism.

From the Paper:

"Realism in fiction appears in several different forms, some of which can be illustrated by reference to different American short stories. The three primary categories of realism are naturalism, local color, and regionalism. In a broad sense, realism emulates reality closely and in great detail, with an emphasis on verisimilitude. Character is more important than action or plot. Social class is an important element that defines characters, and the speech of characters is in the natural vernacular. These elements can be seen in different degrees in Bret Harte's "The Outcasts of Poker Flat," Sarah Orne Jewett's "The White Heron," and Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat.""

Sample of Sources Used:

Crane, Stephen. "The Open Boat." ReadBookOnLine.net. March 4, 2007. http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/1514/.
Harte, Bret. "The Outcasts of Poker Flat." Page by Page Books. March 4, 2007. http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Bret_Harte/The_Outcasts_Of_Poker_Flat/The_Outcasts_Of_Poker_Flat_p1.html.
Jewett, Sarah Orne. "A White Heron." March 4, 2007. http://users.mhc.edu/facultystaff/jpierce/spring00/eng205/whiheron.html.