Think about...

• How and when did American writers and poets respond to the Civil War?
After realizing the cruelty and evilness of war, people created realism, which is much more real (as suggested by the name) in contrast to romanticism, which always depicts a beautiful world. They also created naturalism, explanation provided below.
 
• What are the basic characteristics of realism?
Realism is one that depicts the world. It is more optimistic than Dark Romanticism but more pessimistic than Romanticism. It shows a true course in the world, rejecting both extremes. The production of this kind tend to focus on the lower of the society level. It stresses the struggles of those people. Writers avoid elegant language but uses everyday language instead.
 
• What did the naturalist writers believe?
The Naturalists writers believe that everything is from the nature. Human behaviors tend to be inherited and all those destiny thing is pre-decided. Humans have no say over their destiny.