Historical background and period of realism In American literature the period of realism (1860 - 1890) stretches from the Civil war to the turn of the century. After the Civil war United States changed quickly. The slavery was abolished, democracy increased, towns became industrialized and urbanized, the population expanded because of the immigration, and the middle-class prospered. This provided a good environment for literature and for readers who were interested in understanding all these changes. Mark Twain …showed first 75 words of 2070 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2070 total…List if bibliographical references: Twain, Mark. 1992. Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Limited. 1992, p. 1-435. http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/campbell/enl311/realism.htm http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap5/5intro.html http://owleyes.org/huck.htm http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/ll/litrlgenres.asp http://www.bookrags.com/notes/hf/TOP3.htm http://owleyes.org/huck.htm http://www.123helpme.com/assets/15706.html http://www.twainquotes.com