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Dr. Bordelon's American Lit II On Campus

Maggie, A Girl of the Streets
Stephen Crane
1893/96

Image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Crane

Terms to Know
Naturalism: A literary movement prevalent in later nineteenth century America that, as Lars Ahnebrink writes, "a manner and method of composition by which the author portrays life as it is in accordance with the philosophic theory of determinism [. . . .] To a naturalist man can be explained in terms of the forces, usually heredity and environment, which operate upon him" (vi). Ahnebrink writes that naturalist writers exhibit a "post-Darwinian belief that man was fundamentally an animal; his actions therefore depended essentially upon physiological phenomena" (214).

For additional information, see the "Naturalism" paragraph entry in the Oxford Companion to American Literature. For a richer discussion, see the Naturalism and Realism essay from The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature.

The Life
Crane, like many writers of this time, lived a dual life as a writer: he was both a journalist and wrote fiction. Thus, much of the information in this story is based on observation and interviews.

As the textbook reveals, Crane also wrote poetry. And as you can see it's in a very epigrammatic style that presages the imagists and modern poets of the next century.

Two of my favorite Crane poems not included in the textbook are below.

III

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter – bitter", he answered,
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."

From The Black Riders (1895)

The last two lines were used by the contemporary author Joyce Carol Oates as the title to a novel

The wayfarer,
Perceiving the pathway to truth,
Was struck with astonishment.
It was thickly grown with weeds.
"Ha," he said,
"I see that none has passed here
In a long time."
Later he saw that each weed
Was a singular knife.
"Well," he mumbled at last,
"Doubtless there are other roads."

From War is Kind (1899)

A less sentimental view of Frost's idea of the "Road Less Travelled"

The Times
Written at a time

The publishing history is important here as well.

Class Discussion
1.

Group Questions

Day One

Day Two

Links
Link to selection from Jacob Riis describing urban conditions in New York. Print and read and have ready for class.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures
From Riis's How the Other Half Lives

Bandit's Roost,
59 1/2 Mulberry Street
c. 1888

Mullen's Alley, Cherry Hill
1888

A downtown "Morgue" (unlicensed saloon)
c. 1890

Mulberry Bend
c. 1896