The period of American literature known as Realism

The period of American literature known as Realism is generally considered to span from the end of the Civil War until the beginning of World War I. American Realism responded to the sweeping political, social and economic changes that took place in American culture after the Civil War, including the end of slavery, the industrial revolution, the advent of mass production, wide-scale immigration, increased urbanization and increased poverty. American Realists sought to depict the everyday lives of ordinary Americans, and the relationship between the individual and society is often explored. American Realism tended to be regional, and writers sought to capture "local color" amidst fear that traditional folkways were disappearing in the face of rapid technological changes and modernization.