NINETEENTHCENTURY LITERARY MOVEMENTS: REALISM

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NINETEENTH-CENTURY LITERARY MOVEMENTSREALISM

• DEFINITION
• BACKGROUND
• CHARACTERISTICS
• TECHNIQUES

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REALISM

• A. DEFINITION
• THE TERM REALISM IDENTIFIES
  PRINCIPALLY A LITERARY TENDENCY DOMINANT AMONG
  THE EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN WRITERS OF FICTION WHO,
  IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY, DEALT
  WITH THE USUAL CONDITIONS OF URBAN MIDDLE-CLASS
  LIFEITS MANNERS, CUSTOMS, VALUES, AND ETHICAL
  ISSUES.

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B. BACKGROUND

• 1. THE GROWTH OF INDUSTRIALISM,
• ADVANCES IN THE TECHNOLOGY OF MASS PRODUCTION,
• THE RISE OF THE STOCK-MARKET SYSTEM OF
• INVESTMENT CAPITALISM,
• CREATED SEVERAL CONDITIONS THAT HELPED LEAD TO
  REALISM . . .

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RESULTS OF INDUSTRIALISM

• CITIES BECAME MANUFACURING CENTERS AND MORE
  PEOPLE MOVED FROM RURAL AREAS INTO THE CITIES TO
  FIND JOBS
• A LARGE URBAN MIDDLE CLASS APPEARED, INVOLVED IN
  MANUFACTURING, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL SALES,
  BANKING, THE LEGAL AND OTHER PROFESSIONS, AND THE
  STOCK MARKET.

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• 2. ADVANCES IN THE TECHNOLOGY OF PRINTING
  ALLOWED
• CHEAPER PRODUCTION AND MASS MARKETING OF BOOKS
• THE MASS CIRCULATION OF POPULAR MAGAZINES
• BOTH OF WHICH PROVIDED FICTION THAT APPEALED TO
  THE INTERESTS OF MIDDLE-CLASS READERS.

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• 3. TWO INTELLECTUAL INFLUENCES OPERATED TO
  FOSTER THE ATTITUDES REFLECTED IN REALISM
• THE SPREAD OF EDUCATION, THROUGH THE
  PROLIFERATION OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN
  THE INDUSTRIALIZED WESTERN WORLD
• THE THEORETICAL LEGACY OF THE AMERICAN AND FRENCH
  REVOLUTIONS OF THE 18TH CENTURY. THESE
  CONTINUED INTO THE 19TH CENTURY . . .

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THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA

• IN ENGLAND, THE CHARTISTS AGITATED FOR LOWERING
  THE FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE
  
• IN FRANCE AND THE GERMAN AND ITALIAN STATES,
  THERE WERE THE REVOLUTIONS OF 1848
• IN THE U. S., THE DEMOCRATIC IDEAL ACQUIRED NEW
  RELEVANCE IN THE CIVIL WAR AND THE EXPLOITATION
  OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE FRONTIER.

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• THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF THESE CONDITIONS WAS THE
  FORMATION OF A LITERATE MIDDLE CLASS THAT
• SAW ITS MEMBERS AS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
  PROTAGONISTS
• WANTED A LITERATURE THAT REFLECTED ITS SOCIAL
  STRUCTURE, MANNERS, AND ETHICAL VALUES.

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• 4. IN ADDITION, AMONG WRITERS THERE WAS A
  REACTION AGAINST TWO EXAGGERATIONS OF
  19TH-CENTURY ROMANTICISM
• IDEALISM--THE VISION OF THE WORLD AS POLARIZED
  INTO GOOD AND EVIL, HIGH AND LOW, NOBLE AND
  IGNOBLE
• ESCAPISMTHE DESIRE TO ESCAPE FROM THE
  INSTABILITY, CONFLICTS, AND SUFFERING OF THE REAL
  WORLD.

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THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS OF REALIST FICTION

• THE SETTINGS ARE URBAN
• THE HOMES, FACTORIES, OFFICES, RESORTS,
  AND OTHER PLACES FREQUENTED BY BOTH THE UPPER AND
  LOWER MIDDLE CLASS.

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• THE PLOTS ARE BASED ON THE PRACTICAL AND ETHICAL
  PROBLEMS FACED BY MEMBERS OF THIS CLASS, AND THE
  DECISIONS THAT THEY MUST MAKE--FOR EXAMPLE,
• CHOICE OF SPOUSE CONDITIONED BY ECONOMIC AND
  ETHICAL AS WELL AS ROMANTIC OR SENTIMENTAL
  FACTORS
• CHOICE OF PROFESSION
• CHOICE BETWEEN SELF-INTEREST AND INTEGRITY IN
  BUSINESS DEALINGS OR PERSONAL AFFAIRS.

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• THE PROTAGONISTS ARE TYPICAL MEMBERS OF THE
  MIDDLE CLASS AND REFLECT THE ATTITUDES AND VALUES
  AS WELL AS THE CUSTOMS AND MANNERS OF THIS CLASS.
  
• (SOME CHARACTERS MAY BELONG TO OTHER CLASSES.)
• 4. UNLIKE ROMANTIC HEROES AND VILLAINS, THE
  CHARACTERS ARE NEITHER EXTREMELY GOOD NOR
  EXTREMELY BAD, BUT HAVE A MIXTURE OF BOTH
  QUALITIES.

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• THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE CHARACTERS IS AS IMPORTANT
  AS THE EXTERNAL ACTION OF THE PLOT
• THE TEXT INCLUDES A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF
  REVELATION AND ANALYSIS OF CHARACTER, AND
• THE READER IS EXPECTED TO BE AS INTERESTED IN HOW
  A CHARACTER DEALS WITH HIS OR HER REALITY AS IN
  HOW THE STORY ENDS.

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• NARRATORS AVOID THE OVERTLY EMOTIONAL LANGUAGE OF
  ROMANTICISM
• JUDGMENTS MAY BE EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED
• THE NARRATOR MAY REMAIN NEUTRAL, LEAVING THE
  READER TO FORM HIS OR HER OWN JUDGMENTS.
• 7. THE NARRATIVE TONE MAY BE NEUTRAL, MILDLY
  COMIC, OR SATIRIC.

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D. THE PRINCIPAL NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES OF REALISM

• EXPOSITION IS NOT LIMITED TO EXPLICIT
  INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL IN THE INITIAL PARAGRAPHS
  OF THE TEXT, BUT SCATTERED THROUGHOUT
• AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IT IS REVEALED THROUGH THE
  DIALOGUE, AS IN DRAMA.

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• 3. IN ESTABLISHING THE SETTING OR INTRODUCING A
  CHARACTER, THE AUTHOR PRESENTS A FEW VIVID
  PHYSICAL DETAILS THAT SUGGEST THE ENVIRONMENT OR
  THE PERSONALITY.
• 4. IN KEEPING WITH THE RELATIVELY OBJECTIVE TONE,
  THE AUTHOR AVOIDS PERSONIFICATION AND STRONGLY
  AFFECTIVE TERMS IN ESTABLISHING THE SETTING.

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• THE DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS COME FROM DELIBERATE
  OBSERVATION OF REAL PEOPLE AND PLACES THE
  REALIST NEITHER INVENTS NOR EXAGGERATES, BUT
  OBSERVES AND RECORDS.
• 5. THE CHARACTERSOR EVEN THE
  NARRATORSVALUES ARE IMPLIED OR SUGGESTED
  THROUGH THE DETAILS RATHER THAN EXPRESSLY STATED.

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• 6. THE WRITERS USE DIALOGUE AND GESTURE (BODY
  LANGUAGE) AS WELL AS EXPLICIT ANALYSIS AND
  EXPLANATION TO REVEAL A CHARACTERS PSYCHOLOGY,
  EMOTIONAL STATES AND MOTIVATION.