Realism

Realism

                The word “Realism” comes from the root word “Real”. Realism is “exceptionally elastic critical term”. It is considered to be ambivalent and equivocal term. The term “realism” has gained many adjectives and similar words. However they all are ambivalent. They don’t have enough clarifying meaning in them.

              The term “Reality” has different interpretation in different subject and “ologies”.

Example- Philosophy distinguishes two basic terms about the concept of “Reality”.

ü Correspondence

ü Coherence

           The correspondence theory believes that the world is known by scientific inquiry, by data by documentation and by definition. Moreover it depends on referential and practical language. It is quite objective in approach.

          While when we say the coherence, it suggests that the external world is known by the intuitive perception and by insight. Moreover the coherence theory depends on emotive language. It believes in subjective point of view.

           However this division are made in philosophy. But in language such division are not possible. However its influences are unavoidable. Realism has influenced all the walks of life. Similarly it has affected literature too. While talking about realism and its meaning in literature. J.A.Cuddon quotes,

“Fundamentally in literature realism is the portrayal of life with fidelity”.

                 In other words, realism suggests the thing which must be programmatic. More especially it suggests

“... Jackets off a sleeve rolled up ‘no nonsense’ approach”.

                 

                        So far as literature is concerned,     realism is not concerned with idealism, beauty or any transcendental things. It is in direct opposition to the Romanticism which believes in imagination and beauty. In short the term real or reality or realism implies antithesis like unreal, fantastic improbable, fanciful and dream world.

v History of Realism.

                  

                   19^th century is known for its fertility and development in all works of life. During this period many literary schools and movements were pioneered. During the same period, there was a recognizable and conscious movement in literature which was subsequently tagged as “Realism”.

               The French were responsible for this movement. It began sometime in the 1830s and finally it had gathered momentum (development and process) by the 1850s. Finally during the later part of the century realism was a definite trend in European literature.

             Initially the term “Le realism” is to be found in the “mercure Francais Che Xtxe  siecle (1826)”. According to J.A. Cuddon

“Here it refers to a point of view or doctrine which states that realism is a copy of Nature and reveals to us the literature of truth”.

            Here, realism directly rejects classicism, romanticism and doctorin of “art for art’s sake”

v Influence on Realism.

                         It was in 19^th century the theory of realism combined with practice to produce a large body of literature. So the literature was highly influenced by philosophical thought.

EXAMPLE-“ Cours de philosophie positive by Comte (1830)”

                     

                 Comte’s positivism in this book made sociology a prime science. It has influenced many people. Critic Taine has applied Compte’s theories to the sphere of literature.

EXAMPLE- “Histirie DE la literature Anglaise (1863-64)

                      Later, Feuerbach and Charles Darwin influenced many people.

               “origin of Spices” (1850) – Darwin.

              This book is based on reality and science about the origin and development of human beings.

Later the invention of photography in 1839 had an immense effect on the world and existence in general. Here the scene and episodes were faithfully recorded.

         The painting of Courbet had an incalculable influence. He was strongly opposed to any kind of individualization in art and romanticism and had established the doctrine of realism in painting.

J.A.Cuddon

“For him the peasant and the worker were the fittest and the most estimable subject for a painter.”

                        Courbet’s idea of painting has influenced many realistic writers.

“Le Relisme” (1857) – Champfleury

          He applied Courbet’s point of view to literature.

v Major characteristics of Realism.

1)    The first feature of realism is that it believes in reality and science.

2)    It has given more importance to common man and his harsh life.

3)    It avoids fancy and called beautiful things.

4)    It pays particular attention to exact documentation and faithful recording.

5)    Last but not the least; realism consists that an artist should concern himself with everyday and events, with his own environment and with movements like political, social of his time.

v Major writers and literary output.

             So far as realism is concerned, it has highly influenced the novel form and drama. Here we have many writers who can be called “realistic novelist”.

“Madame Bovary”- Flaubert.

“Germinie lacerteux”- Edmond. (1865)

“Jules de concourt”- Ernest Feydeau.

“La comedie humaine”- Balzac

“Fanny” (1858)- Ernest Feydeau.

       All these novels are termed as realistic novels. They pay special attention to exact documentation to facts and scientific ideas.

          Apart from all these writers like Zola, Maupassant in French, Tolstoy, Gogol in Russia and William Dean Howell in America are concerned to the supportive writers of realism. However Emily Zola is supreme analysts of the movements called “Naturalism”.

          As far as drama is concerned with Ibsen. He is key figure. He has rejected all rigid rules of theater. He has even influenced G.B.Show and Strindberg in writing drama.

           Even in Russia, Anatii Lunacharsky invented the theory of socialist realism in the theater. He propagates that the new plays should be about common man. Thus socialist realism in the theater is largely a Russian phenomenon.

           Even the realism occurs in psychology which is known as “psychological” realism. In literature it indicates the use of “the steam of consciousness” method. Novelist like Dorothy Richardson, vergina Woolf have used psychological realism in their works.

         However, at least we have some realists poets also like George Grabbe, Kipling, and Robert Frost etc.

        These entire poet’s novelist’s and dramatists’ works are more down to earth, closer to everyday life and to general real human experience.

v Critical Reception

              The storage and noteworthy point about “realism” is that most of the pioneer’s personalities of this movement dislike the “term”.

            Courbet himself did not like the term though he himself used it

Ø Champfleury expressed his disapproval in his essay “ Le Realism” (1857)

Ø Baudelaire described it as a “injure deglutinate” and as a “mot vague et elastique”.

            However amid all has its own importance and relevance in 19^th and 20^th century’s literature which are ages of science and technology.