Realism and Naturalism in Literature: Key Concepts and Authors

Realism: A Shift in Perspective

Realism represented a significant change in perspective compared to Romanticism, aiming to portray characters and environments objectively for contemporary readers.

The Customs: Recording History

The "costumbrismo" movement intended to record the existence of typical characters and geography at a specific moment in history. It found success in our language due to a strong tradition of popular theater. This literary style often originated in journalism and evolved into a more sophisticated narrative form.

Defining Realism

Realism seeks to reflect total reality as objectively as possible. Realistic works encompass all aspects of life, including both beauty and ugliness, and often feature profound social criticism. This genre flourished following the social and economic changes brought about by industrialization.

Key Realist Novelists

• Honoré de Balzac
• Gustave Flaubert
• Stendhal

Naturalism and Determinism

Naturalism has its origins in the theory of determinism proposed by Hippolyte-Adolphe Taine. This theory suggests that humans lack the freedom to change their fate, as it is predetermined at birth by their social environment and genetic heritage. The most representative figure of this movement is Émile Zola.

Narcís Oller: A Representative Author

Narcís Oller (1846–1930) studied law and was an avid reader who translated authors such as Tolstoy and Goldoni. His notable works include:

• The Butterfly (1882): A realist novel.
• The Escanyapobres (1884): A naturalist work.
• The Gold Rush (1890): A novel of manners.
• The Madness (1898): A naturalist novel.

Oller remains the most representative author of the realist and naturalist novel in our language.

Linguistic Concepts: Dialectology

• Transition Zones: Areas where two contiguous dialects mix.
• Isogloss: Imaginary lines that mark the limits between different dialects.
• Constitutive Dialects: Those that evolved alongside the birth of the language (e.g., Northern, Central, and North-Western).
• Consecutive Dialects: Those that evolved as a result of exporting the language to other areas (e.g., Balearic, Alghero, and Valencian).