Social Realism vs. Experimental Novels of the 1950s

The Novel of the 1950s

Social and aesthetic intentions are the two pillars on which the works of social realism are based. Within the social novel, two currents are generally distinguished:

Objectivism in Social Realism

Key Features:

• Invisible Narrator: The narrator's presence is minimized, aiming to be almost invisible. They avoid making any judgments or comments, requiring the reader to derive their own conclusions from the text.
• Prevalence of Dialogue: Dialogue is prominent, with a significant linguistic effort made to capture the distinct features of various social groups and individuals.
• Representative Characters: Individual characters often represent a social class. They are characterized by their actions, words, and external attitudes, without delving into their inner thoughts.
• Condensed Time and Space: The settings for these novels are often singular or change very little. The narrative generally unfolds in the present.
• Linear Narrative: The story follows a chronological timeline without flashbacks or future anticipations. Instead of a single, gradually unfolding storyline, there are often many small stories or anecdotes. Simultaneous narration is also common.

The Experimental Novel

General Characteristics:

• Blurred Plot: The plot is often indistinct, the action is minimal, and plausible events are mixed with imaginary or fantastic ones.
• Amorphous Protagonist: The main character, while central to the novel, is often amorphous, lacking clear, crisp physical descriptions and appearing fuzzy or vague.
• Compressed Space: Space tends to shrink, compress, and sometimes even disappear, serving as nothing more than a loose framework for the minimal plot.
• Non-Linear Time: Time undergoes profound changes. A linear narrative is avoided in favor of flashbacks and anticipations. This temporal chaos can transform the text into a maze or puzzle that the reader must work to reconstruct.
• Open Structure: These novels often lack the traditional structure of a beginning, middle, and end. An ending may not exist, and we find novels with an open structure where a meaningless conclusion, or the plot's resolution, is left to the reader's imagination.
• Multiple Perspectives: There is a flexible use of narrative voices and points of view. It is very common to use a shifting viewpoint that offers multiple and changing perspectives on reality (perspectivism).
• Meta-literature and the Anti-Novel: These works are often called anti-novels because they question the very essence of the novel form. They become meta-literature, with literature itself as an essential theme.
• Complex Language: The language is complicated by various procedures: an elaborate lexicon, syntactic breaks, very long and complex sentences, but also the use of brief, almost telegraphic phrases, or colloquial and even vulgar language.
• Varied Technical Resources: A wide range of technical resources is used, including descriptions, dialogues, and monologues. Some novels are difficult to read due to the deliberate omission of punctuation.