There have been many examinations of the most popular terms used in American literature, such as romanticism and classicism, but few examinations have been done on literary realism. Although realism was largely ignored in the late 19th century, it has now become commonplace in American literature. Although Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge offers some examples of literary realism in its detailed verisimilitude and idealism, there are also many examples of fantastical imagery and an unrealistic notion of time, which is contradictory with literary realism. As An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge offers an example both for and against definitions of literary realism, this article will be divided into three main sections. The first section will define realism in two different ways. The second section will show evidence supporting that An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is an example of literary realism. The third section will show evidence against this story being an example of literary realism. These sections will be followed by a works cited page and images of the literary works used for reference in this article. DEFINITIONS OF LITERARY REALISM Literary realism was defined by George J. Becker in an essay entitled Modern Language Quarterly with three criteria: "verisimilitude of detail...an effort to approximate the norm of experience...and an objective, in the extent to which an artist can achieve objectivity, rather than a subjective or idealistic view of human nature and experience” (Pizer 1). However, this is not the only definition of realism that exists. Donald Pizer has proposed defining realism as it is applied to the “American novel of the late 19th century” (2). This is important... middle of paper ......lm. Story 17.1 (2009): 95-110. MLA International Bibliography. Internet. November 3, 2011. Grattan, C. Hartley. Bitter beer. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, Inc., 1966. Print. Pizer, Donald. “Late 19th-Century American Literary Realism.” Realism and naturalism in late 19th-century American literature. Rev. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1984. 1-8. NetLibrary. Internet. March 30, 2009. Stoicheff, Peter. “Something Strange”: The dream structure in Ambrose Bierce’s “AnOccurrence At Owl Creek Bridge.” » Studies in Short Fiction 30.3 (1993): 349-358. Print.Walz, Lawrence A. "Mary Henry's Journey from Owl Creek Bridge." Literature FilmQuarterly 23.4 (1995): 262-265. MLA International Bibliography. Internet. November 3, 2011. Wiggins, Robert A. Ambrose Bierce. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1964. Print.