literature homework

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE II

MODULE SIX: LECTURE ONE

SOCIAL REALISM – THE LITERATURE OF OPPRESSION

Social protest literature is rooted in 18th century literature that addressed social problems, but which,

more often than not, did not present a solution. The social novel also known as the social problem novel

or social protest novel is a work of fiction in which a prevailing social problem such as gender, race, or

class prejudice is dramatized through its effects on the characters of a novel. A few specific social

problems addressed include poverty, conditions in factories and mines, child labor, prostitution, violence

against women, rising criminality and epidemics because of over-crowding and poor sanitation in cities.

Social Problem Novels

In England during the 1830s and 1840s the social novel rose as a reaction to a rapid industrialization and

the social, political and economic issues associated with it. This literature was a means of commenting on

abuses of government and industry and the suffering of the poor, who were not profiting from England’s

economic prosperity. Social problems are an important concern, for example, in all the novels of Charles

Dickens. Dickens was a fierce critic of the poverty and social stratification of Victorian society, and his

many works serve as a lifelong condemnation of the injustices committed by the rich against the poor and

downtrodden in Victorian society. Two of his most famous works dealing with these issues are ‘Oliver

Twist” (1839) and “Hard Times” (1854).

Another fierce critic of oppression against the poor in society was French author Victor Hugo. In 1857 he

wrote his most famous work, “Les Miserables,” which rose to become the most significant social protest

novel of the 19th century in Europe. Even today his story of a man who is ultimately condemned to twenty

years of hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister and her many children touches

the hearts of audiences worldwide. There have been many film adaptations of ‘Les Miserables” and even

a Broadway show - the fifth longest running Broadway show in history.

In America “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stone and “Huckleberry Finn” (1884) by Mark

Twain were popular social protest novels. In addition, two black writers who were famous for their protest

literature were Richard Wright, author of “native Son” (1940) and James Baldwin, author of “Go Tell it on

The Mountain” (1953.)

All these different authors dealt with the injustices committed against marginalized groups., whether by

gender, class, race, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristics.

Characteristics of Social Realism

• Takes place in the present or in the recent past

• Characters are involved in events that could happen

• Characters live in places that could be or are real

• The characters seem like real people with real issues that are solved in a realistic way

• Class is closely studied – especially middle-class life

• The dialogue is believable

Popular Children’s Social Realism Novels from the Last 100 Years

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1976)

• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (1967)

• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (1976)

• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1977)

• Bud, not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (1999)

• Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan (2000)

• The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo (2000)