"Realism in the arts is generally the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding speculative and supernatural elements."
The focus on individualism in realist literature and how it relates to the societal norms of the time.
Historical Context: Understanding the socio-political and cultural background that gave rise to Realism and Individualism as literary movements.
Key Figures: Familiarizing oneself with the prominent writers and thinkers of the Realism and Individualism movements, including Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Henry James, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Aesthetic Principles: Learning about the core aesthetic principles that shape Literary Realism, such as the use of everyday language, attention to detail, and commitment to depicting the complexities of human experience.
Literary Techniques: Exploring the formal devices that writers use to convey the tenets of Literary Realism, including omniscient narration, stream of consciousness, and free indirect discourse.
Relationship to Romanticism: Comparing and contrasting the Literary Realism movement to Romanticism, which preceded it and inspired many of its writers.
Influence on Contemporary Literature: Examining the ongoing impact of Literary Realism and Individualism on contemporary literature, including their application in postcolonial and feminist literature.
Regionalism: Studying the relationship between Literary Realism and the emergence of regionalism as a literary movement.
Philosophy and Epistemology: Exploring philosophical and epistemological implications of Literary Realism, including its relationship to empiricism and skepticism.
Social Issues: Examining how Literary Realism as a movement addressed social issues such as class, race, and gender through literature and how it changed the social discourse around these issues.
Influence on Other Arts: Studying the influence of Literary Realism and Individualism on other art forms like film, theater, and visual art.
Naturalism: This type of realism is rooted in the scientific theories of determinism and Darwinism. Naturalist writers focused on characters who struggled to overcome their circumstances, and the stories often had bleak endings.
Social Realism: This type of realism deals with contemporary social issues such as poverty, racism, and sexism. Social realists attempt to create empathy and understanding among their readers by describing the harsh reality of social inequality and injustice.
Psychological Realism: This type of realism emphasizes the interior lives of characters and explores the complex motivations and feelings that drive their actions.
Magical Realism: This type of realism combines realistic and fantastical elements, creating a dreamlike or surreal atmosphere that challenges readers' perceptions of reality.
Historical Realism: This type of realism focuses on historically accurate portrayals of a particular time period, often using real people and events to lend authenticity to the story.
Literary Naturalism: This type of individualism emphasizes the struggle of individuals to exercise their free will in a deterministic or oppressive environment.
Existentialism: This type of individualism emphasizes the individual's search for meaning in life in the face of an indifferent universe.
Romanticism: This type of individualism emphasizes the individual's emotional experience and subjective perspective, often glorifying the heroism and independence of the individual.
Postmodernism: This type of individualism questions the concept of the "self" and explores how social and cultural factors shape our identities and perceptions of reality.
"Naturalism seeks to depict objects with the least possible amount of distortion and is tied to the development of linear perspective and illusionism in Renaissance Europe."
"In 19th-century Europe, 'Naturalism' or the 'Naturalist school' was somewhat artificially erected as a term representing a breakaway sub-movement of realism."
"Realism was motivated by the renewed interest in the common man and the rise of leftist politics."
"The realist painters rejected Romanticism, which had come to dominate French literature and art."
"The French Revolution of 1848."
"Realism was motivated by the renewed interest in the common man."
"Artists like Gustave Courbet capitalized on the mundane, ugly or sordid."
"Realism... often refers to a specific art historical movement that originated in France in the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1848. With artists like Gustave Courbet capitalizing on the mundane, ugly or sordid, realism was motivated by the renewed interest in the common man and the rise of leftist politics."
"There have been various movements invoking realism in the other arts, such as the opera style of verismo, literary realism, theatrical realism, and Italian neorealist cinema."
"The term [realism] is often used interchangeably with naturalism."
"Naturalism... seeks to depict objects with the least possible amount of distortion and is tied to the development of linear perspective and illusionism in Renaissance Europe."
"Romanticism... had come to dominate French literature and art, with roots in the late 18th century."
"The opera style of verismo."
"A breakaway sub-movement of realism [that] attempted to distinguish itself from its parent by its avoidance of politics and social issues."
"Playing on the sense of 'naturalist' as a student of natural history."
"Realism was motivated by... the rise of leftist politics."
"Realism in the arts is generally the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality."
"Naturalism seeks to depict objects with the least possible amount of distortion and is tied to the development of linear perspective and illusionism in Renaissance Europe."
"The aftermath of the French Revolution of 1848."