1. Verisimilitude:
* Focus on accuracy and detail: Realist writers strive to depict the world as it actually is, using meticulous detail and avoiding exaggeration or romanticization. They often include specific dates, locations, and social customs to enhance authenticity.
* Ordinary characters and settings: Realist literature often features ordinary people and settings, rather than heroes, heroines, or fantastical worlds. These characters are often working-class or middle-class individuals facing everyday struggles.
* Focus on the mundane: Realism explores the ordinary, everyday experiences of people. It doesn't shy away from depicting the struggles, hardships, and complexities of life.
2. Objectivity:
* Limited authorial intrusion: Realist writers try to remain objective and avoid overly sentimental or subjective perspectives. They present the story through the eyes of the characters, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.
* Focus on social observation: Realism aims to present a realistic picture of society and expose its injustices and flaws. It often focuses on issues like poverty, inequality, and social class.
* Emphasis on empirical observation: Realist authors often draw upon their own experiences and observations to create realistic portrayals of people and events.
3. Social Commentary:
* Critical analysis of society: Realism often critiques the social and political structures of the time, highlighting issues like corruption, exploitation, and hypocrisy.
* Exploration of social problems: It delves into real-life problems like poverty, disease, and crime, aiming to raise awareness and prompt social change.
* Focus on social mobility: Realist literature often explores the struggles and limitations of social mobility, depicting how social class can affect an individual's life.
Examples of Realism in Literature:
* Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist": This novel portrays the harsh realities of poverty and the injustices faced by children in Victorian England.
* Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina": This masterpiece explores themes of adultery, social expectations, and the limitations of marriage in 19th-century Russia.
* Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary": This novel explores the complexities of love, marriage, and social pressure in provincial France, offering a critical commentary on the limitations of bourgeois life.
Realism continues to influence literature today, and its focus on authenticity and social commentary makes it a powerful and relevant genre.