Literary Characteristics

Realism-

Realism was a literary movement in the last half of the 19th century in which writers opposed much of what the Romantics had stood for. Most critics give the dates 1850's to 1880's as the dates for the strongest examples of Realism in Western literature. (You'll notice that there is some overlap between the dates for Romanticism and Realism.)


Its Characteristics-
The age of Realism is characterized by some recognizable ideas held by most of the thinkers and writers of the day. These ideas listed below are generalizations, and--as with most generalizations--need to be seen the the light of a particular piece of literature in order to present any verifiable detail.

1. Whereas the age of the Romantics valued the exceptional, the genius, and the uncommon individual, the age of Realism values members of the middle class.

2. Whereas the age of the Romantics valued the contribution of the genius and imagination of the writer/poet, the Realists wanted to de-emphasize the contribution of the writer and thought writers should "objectively" see contemporary life as the material for their writing. They attempted to keep themselves as writers from coming between the reader and the life they presented in their art.

3. Whereas the age of the Romantics valued the details of the present moment as a way to transcend the moment and the present world, the age of Realism values the surface details, the everyday life, and the common conduct of middle class individuals. They do this with the purpose of creating the illusion of reality. Herik Ibsen said that the effect he was seeking in his Realistic plays was to make "the spectator feel as if he were actually sitting, listening, and looking on events happening in real life" (Wilkie & Hurt 971).

4. While the Romantics valued the emotional, the intuitive, and the feelings and insight of the innocent child and the genius, the Realists explore the ethical choices made by common middle class individuals and the effects and consequences these ethical choices have on the lives of their middle class heroes.

5. While the Romantics value nature as a way of seeing God and man, the Realists question the existence, or at least the importance of, God and discount the beliefs of organized Christian religions. Instead of seeking transcendence as the Romantics did, the Realists focused on ethical choices and morality in the life of middle class individuals, often without supporting Christian beliefs.


Naturalism-
was a literary movement taking place from 1865 to 1900 that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character. It was depicted as a literary movement that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to such movements as Romanticism or Surrealism, in which subjects may receive highly symbolic, idealistic, or even supernatural treatment. Naturalism is the outgrowth of Realism, a prominent literary movement in mid-19th-century France and elsewhere. Naturalistic writers were influenced by the evolution theory of Charles Darwin.[1] They believed that one's heredity and social environment determine one's character. Whereas realism seeks only to describe subjects as they really are, naturalism also attempts to determine "scientifically" the underlying forces (e.g. the environment or heredity) influencing the actions of its subjects. Naturalistic works often include uncouth or sordid subject matter; for example, Émile Zola's works had a frankness about sexuality along with a pervasive pessimism. Naturalistic works exposed the dark harshness of life, including poverty, racism, sex, prejudice, disease, prostitution, and filth. As a result, naturalistic writers were frequently criticized for being too blunt.

Its Characteristics-
1. Whereas the Realists portrayed middle class characters in their work, the Naturalists portrayed the lives of working class individuals and believed that members of the working class were controlled, oppressed, and brutalized by the societies in which they lived.

2. Whereas the Realists explored the ethical choices of middle class characters, the Naturalists believed that their working class characters struggled just to remain alive in a way similar to the way Darwin saw animals struggling for survival in the physical world.

3. Whereas the Realists focused on ethical choices and morality in the contemporary life of middle class individuals, often without supporting Christian beliefs, the Naturalist often portrayed working class individuals as animals struggling against an inhuman and unsympathetic universe where they competed for scarce resources in the same way as animals did in the physical world around them.