Realism in Literature: A Comprehensive Analysis

Realism in Literature

Realism's main characteristic is its claim to depict the society of its time. It focuses on social and economic issues, and human passions. Besides being a contemporary social reality, a third feature is a script that works with loyalty to what exists, trying to present reality as it is, using an objective technique against romantic subjectivism. The authors attempt to discover the qualities, dislikes, and even social deformities. In conclusion, the elements of realism developed from Romanticism, such as manners and the taste for local and regional levels, but still eliminates some previous facets such as subjectivism, the excessive use of the imagination, or the constant evocation of the legendary past.

The novel was the most appropriate genre to give a broad and faithful view of reality. The literary protagonists are ordinary people with problems, reflecting the changes and social tensions. They are proletarians, beggars, politicians, and the middle class, which forms a credible, everyday world.

A rigorous observation of reality appears as a descriptive method, influenced by experimental sciences. The writers are documented in the field, taking detailed notes on the environment, people, clothing, etc. Also, the novel shows the character of the character a psychological analysis of their behavior, their motivations, and their contradictions.

French Realism

Authors:

• Stendhal: (The Red and the Black) Narrated from the romantic side of the protagonist. The strong presence of subjectivity and the theme of love are tempered by the importance of observation of reality and the portrait of the society of the moment.
• Balzac: (The Human Comedy) He proposed to compose a chart of the type that shows the people of his time. Considering that one novel is insufficient to reflect reality, he believes this goal can be carried out through all his novels that form a parallel narrative world, similar to the real one. The novels are linked, and some characters reappear in others.
• Flaubert: (Sentimental Education and Madame Bovary) Creates the "bovarysme," which is the desire for an imaginary world he has constructed from the fruit of his reading fantasies. In this author, there is a concern for the style in the construction of each sentence, paragraph, or chapter, in the attention to detail and specific details.
• Zola: In his novels, the influence of the environment, biological inheritance, and the portrait of the most unpleasant aspects of reality are fundamental.

English Realism

The period in which the English realist novel develops is known as the Victorian era.

Authors:

• Charles Dickens: More weight is given to allegations of Victorian England as in (Oliver Twist or David Copperfield) in which the disappointment in the author's topic can be seen.

Russian Realism

Among the Russian novelists, the strong feeling of pity for the miserable and moral and philosophical concerns stand out.

Authors:

• Dostoyevsky: His novels depict the harsh conditions of the most disadvantaged classes (Crime and Punishment). He delves into existential questions and the most intimate aspects of the characters. In the novel, there is no voice to dominate with a clear purpose, but it is built with a diversity of voices, ideas, and people.
• Tolstoi: (War and Peace and Anna Karenina) In which he is critical of a society where hypocrisy reigns. In their stories, he accentuates the spiritual theme, the need for kindness, and reflection on the meaning of life.