INTRODUCTION:
The realism art movement of the nineteenth century was a
reaction against the exotic and poetic Romanticism of the period of Romantic
Revival (1798-1830). Literary realism introduced a new way of writing and a new
generation of authors whose influence can still be seen in American literature
and English literature to this day. It started in the mid 19th
century and continued till 20th century.
Honor De Balzac is unanimously considered as one of the most
dominant founders of realism. He is a French writer who wrote The Human Comedy which is a series of
novels and short stories depicting all aspects of French life and society in
its true colors.
DEFINITION OF REALISM:
Realism in literature
Rather than applying filters or fantasy to your fictional world, realism is
based on “real” everyday life. In realism, you’ll find characters with genuine
jobs and problems.
Literature of realism portrays mundane, everyday experiences
as they are in real life. It depicts familiar people, places, and stories,
primarily about the middle and lower classes of society. This type of
literature tries to tell a story as truthfully as possible instead of
dramatizing or romanticizing it.
HISTORY OF REALISM IN ENGLISH
LITERATURE:
Literary
realism existed, in some form, in England before the genre was fully defined.
Some critics credit the first British novelists, like Daniel Defoe and Samuel
Richardson, as realists, because they wrote about issues related to the middle
class. The periodical essayists like Joseph Addison and Richard Steele also
depicted life and society in its purest and truest form in their essays.
Once
realism took shape, George Eliot published Middlemarch: A Study of
Provincial Life in 1871, which is considered the most famous
work of literary realism to come from the United Kingdom. The novelists like
Charles Dickens, George Gissing, Arnold Bennett,
and George Moore and others voiced the social evils of their societies
which may be termed as works of realism.
ELEMENTS OF REALISTIC LITERATURE:
1.
Realistic Characters & Setting
2.
Detailed Description of Everyday Events
3.
Realistic Plot / Story
4.
Real Dialects of the Area
5.
Focus on Middle & Lower Class People
SIX TYPES OF REALISM:
There are a few different types of literary
realism, each with its own distinct characteristics.
1.
Magical
Realism: A type of
realism that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. Magical realism
portrays the world truthfully plus adds magical elements that are not found in
our reality but are still considered normal in the world One Hundred Years
of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (1967) is a novel of magical
realism. It is a story about a man who invents a town according to his own
perceptions.
2.
Social
Realism: A type of
realism that focuses on the lives and living conditions of the working class
and the poor. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (1862) is a social
novel about class and politics in France in the early 1800s.
3.
Kitchen
Sink Realism: It is an
offshoot of social realism that focuses on the lives of young working-class
British men who spend their free time drinking in pubs. The setting here is
mostly the bars, restaurants, kitchens etc. Room at the Top by John
Braine (1957) is a kitchen sink realist novel about a young man with big
ambitions who struggles to realize his dreams.
4.
Socialist
Realism: A type of
realism created by Joseph Stalin and adopted by Communists. Socialist realism
glorifies the struggles of the working class people. Cement by
Fyodor Gladkov (1925) is a socialist-realist novel about the struggles of
reconstructing the Soviet Union after the Russian Revolution.
5.
Naturalism: It is an extreme form of realism influenced by Charles Darwin’s theory
of evolution. Naturalism, founded by Émile Zola, explores the belief that
science can explain all social and environmental phenomena. A Rose for
Emily by William Faulkner (1930), a short story about a recluse with a
mental illness whose fate is already determined, is an example of naturalism.
6.
Psychological
Realism: It is a type
of realism that’s character-driven, focusing on what motivates them to make
certain decisions and why. Psychological realism sometimes uses characters to
express commentary on social or political issues. Crime and Punishment by
Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1866) is a psychological realist novel about a man who plans
to kill a man and take his money to get out of poverty—but feels immense guilt
after doing this.
CONCLUSION:
Hence, we may sum up by saying that
Realism in literature was a movement which emerged during the 19th
century as a reaction against the acute romanticism of the previous age. Realism is a unique movement in English literature
that looks at real life people and situations. It even explores real dialects
of people. It focuses more on the depiction of common men and women, their real
life problems, conflicts, their hopes, dreams and ambitions.
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