"Realism in the arts is generally the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding speculative and supernatural elements."
An examination of some of the major writers and works from the Realism movement.
Definition of Literary Realism: A brief introduction to the concept of literary realism, including its emergence as a literary movement during the late 19th century and its key features.
Historical Context: An overview of the social, political, and economic milieu in which literary realism emerged, including the rise of industrialization, the growth of urbanization, and the impact of scientific discoveries.
Major Realist Writers: A survey of some of the most prominent realist writers, such as Gustave Flaubert, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, and Émile Zola, and a discussion of their works.
Realist Literary Techniques: An examination of the literary techniques that realist writers used in their works, including the use of detailed descriptions, the depiction of everyday life, and the use of objective narration.
Realist Themes: An analysis of the themes that realist writers explored in their works, such as social inequality, the struggle of the working class, and the impact of technology and modernization.
Realist Characterization: A discussion of how realist writers developed their characters, including the use of complex psychological profiles and the exploration of characters' inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Realist Settings: An exploration of how realist writers created their settings, including the use of both urban and rural environments and the depiction of specific places with realism.
Realism and Naturalism: A comparison of literary realism to the related movement of naturalism in literature, including their similarities and differences.
Realism and Modernism: A discussion of how literary realism paved the way for the modernist movement in literature, including its influence on the use of stream-of-consciousness narration, experimentation with form, and other modernist literary techniques.
Contemporary Realism: A consideration of how literary realism continues to be relevant today, including its influence on contemporary literature and the ways in which contemporary writers have adapted and transformed the realist tradition.
Social Realism: A broad term used to describe works that depict the harsh realities of working-class life, often with a political or social critique.
Psychological Realism: A type of realism that focuses on the conflicts and emotions of individual characters, often delving into their inner thoughts and feelings.
Regional Realism: A type of realism that seeks to capture the unique qualities of a specific region or place, often emphasizing local customs and culture.
Naturalism: A type of realism that emphasizes the forces of heredity, environment, and social conditions in shaping human lives.
Historical Realism: A type of realism that incorporates historical events and figures into its narratives.
Magical Realism: A type of realism that blends the fantastic or supernatural with everyday life and 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."