Key Figures and Themes in English Realism

English Realism: Key Authors and Periods

The Brontë Sisters

• Women writers who challenged conventions.
• Critique of "silly novels" and reversal of traditional female roles.
• Exploration of psychological and emotional depths in women.
• Themes of extreme passions and violence.
• Narratives often depict a journey from poverty to wealth.
• Focus on love, mystery, and intense passion.
• Deep exploration of inner nature and individual responsibility.
• Emphasis on generosity and moral fortitude.

Notable Works by the Brontës:

• Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre
• Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights
• Anne Brontë: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Emily and Anne Brontë: Shared Characteristics

• Powerful emotional force in their narratives.
• Complex narrative structures: often moving from harmony to crisis, violence, intensity, pain, and death, before returning to a form of harmony.

Charles Dickens

Dickens's Literary Characteristics

• Strong critique of societal and individual behaviors causing harm.
• Spontaneous writing style, often without a pre-planned plot.
• Nostalgia for his childhood.
• Distinctive comic style.
• Belief that good ultimately prevails over tragedy.
• Exceptional dramatic aptitudes and attitudes.
• Fascination with detective stories.
• Remarkable variety in characters and settings.
• Novels published in instalments, with continuation dependent on success.
• Characters often remain static, showing little evolution.
• Use of caricatures to highlight negative features of characters.
• Female characters: often portrayed as either villainous stepmothers or unconvincingly good women.
• Masterful use of humor and satire.
• Inclusion of grotesque and macabre elements.
• Direct interaction between the author and readers.

Major Themes in Dickens's Works

• Benevolence and Innocence: Experiences are crucial for learning and growth.
• Children: Often depicted as a mirror of society, though sometimes with excessive sentimentality.
• Prison: A powerful symbol of human cruelty towards others.
• Justice and Law: Frequent subjects of critique and exploration.
• Social Portrait of London: Vivid and detailed depictions of the city's life and inhabitants.

Literary Periods of English Realism

1. Social Novels (1830-1850)

Classification of Dickens's Works:

• Sunny Dickens (First Period):
  • Optimistic narratives with happy endings.
  • Characterized by humor.
  • Often features a longing for English landscapes.
  • Notable works:
    • Oliver Twist
    • The Old Curiosity Shop
    • David Copperfield
• Dark Dickens (Later Period):
  • Becomes less positive and more somber.
  • Reflects sadness over his lost childhood.
  • Settings often move beyond London.
  • Shorter works.
  • Simpler and more direct prose.
  • Notable works:
    • Hard Times
    • Little Dorrit
    • A Tale of Two Cities
    • Great Expectations

2. Domestic Novels (1850-1870)

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)

• Concern for the outsider in society.
• Realistic locations, often set in 19th-century provincial England.
• Accurate and nuanced dialogue.
• Detailed portrayal of provincial life.
• Highly convincing and complex characters.
• Exploration of traditional morality.
• Incorporation of autobiographical elements.
• Criticism of rigid gender roles and the institution of marriage.
• Notable works:
  • Middlemarch
  • Adam Bede
  • The Mill on the Floss
  • Silas Marner

3. Skepticism and Naturalism (1870-1901)

Thomas Hardy

• Determinism: The most pessimistic type of realism, asserting that everything is predetermined and unchangeable.
• Often depicts characters caught in a "vicious circle" of fate.
• Presents a negative approach to reality.
• Focus on marginal society and rural life.
• Direct attack on prevailing Victorian ideas and hypocrisy.
• Notable work:
  • Jude the Obscure