Phillip J. Barrish is Associate Professor of English at the University of Texas, Austin.

'… a rare scholarly treasure: a volume that is at once elementary in its sweeping presentation of the field and challenging for more experienced scholars of realism, who will find abundant food for thought in Barrish's insightful readings of well-known texts.' Henry B. Wonham, American Literary Realism

• 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.

Phillip J. Barrish is Associate Professor of English at the University of Texas, Austin.

'… a rare scholarly treasure: a volume that is at once elementary in its sweeping presentation of the field and challenging for more experienced scholars of realism, who will find abundant food for thought in Barrish's insightful readings of well-known texts.' Henry B. Wonham, American Literary Realism

• 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.