Romanticism vs Realism: Key Literary Movements Defined

Romanticism

Romanticism was an artistic and literary movement that emerged in England and Germany in the late eighteenth century as a reaction against the Enlightenment. Romantics experienced a sense of failure that fostered feelings of disappointment and pessimism.

The movement occurred within a context of major social and political upheaval that finally dismantled the last vestiges of the Old Regime. Uncomfortable in society, Romantic writers demanded freedom and individual rights, often evoking the past and exotic places as a form of escape from a present they disliked.

Characteristics of Romantic Literature

• Freedom and Individualism: Protection of originality and personal expression.
• Lively Style: The romantic style is typically expressive and rhetorical, highlighting the author's personality and the intensity of their feelings.
• Rebellion: Romantics questioned the morality of their time and bourgeois values.
• Evasion: Confrontation with social reality encouraged flight into the past and remote locations.
• Nature: Romantics expressed their emotions through the projection of nature.
• Nationalism: A deep concern for the people and national identity.

Poetry and drama were the preferred genres of the Romantic period.

Realism

Realism emerged due to significant social and economic changes during the nineteenth century. During this period, the bourgeoisie became the ruling class, while workers began to organize to demand better working conditions and social rights, leading to a literature more attached to reality. This movement imposed an objective view of the world.

The novel became the most utilized genre, with authors focusing specifically on the bourgeoisie. Realist authors were heavily influenced by philosophical currents such as empiricism and positivism. Furthermore, the formulation of Darwin's theories, Mendel's laws, and medical advances influenced the evolution of Realism into a new literary movement: Naturalism.

Features of Realistic Literature

Realism replaced the sentimental exaltation and imaginative deployment of Romantic literature with observation and accurate representation of the environment. Its intention was to portray society credibly with the intent to criticize, transform, and improve it through literature.

The Realistic Novel

The realistic novel is characterized by the following features:

• Everyday Reality: Focus on the mundane and common life.
• Contemporary Subjects: Treatment of themes relevant to the author's time.
• Objectivity: A dedicated search for realism.
• Critical Perspective: Presence of the author's critique through the narrator.
• Omniscient Narrator: Use of a narrator who knows all.
• Style: Simple, clean, and direct prose.
• Dialogue: Meticulous recreation of character speech.