1. Focus on Everyday Life:
* They depicted the lives of ordinary people, especially the middle and lower classes, often in urban settings.
* They explored the complexities and struggles of everyday life, including social issues, economic problems, and psychological turmoil.
2. Detailed Descriptions:
* They used vivid and detailed descriptions to create a sense of reality, focusing on the physical world, characters' appearances, and the atmosphere of their settings.
3. Psychological Realism:
* They explored the inner lives and motivations of their characters, delving into their thoughts, feelings, and desires.
* They often focused on the impact of social and economic forces on individuals' psychology.
4. Objectivity and Impartiality:
* They aimed to present a balanced and objective view of their characters and their world, avoiding overly sentimental or melodramatic portrayals.
5. Emphasis on Social Issues:
* They often addressed contemporary social issues, such as poverty, inequality, and the changing social landscape, using their stories to spark social commentary and raise awareness.
6. Focus on Dialogue:
* They used dialogue to reveal character and advance plot, aiming for natural and authentic conversation.
7. Rejection of Romanticism:
* They rejected the idealism and emotionalism of Romanticism, instead focusing on the complexities and contradictions of human nature.
8. Rejection of Idealization:
* They depicted life as it was, avoiding the romanticized or idealized portrayals found in earlier literary periods.
Important Note:
While the emphasis on realism was paramount, it's important to remember that even realist writers employed literary devices like symbolism and metaphor. Their goal was to create a believable and relatable world, not to simply replicate reality.
Some notable realist authors include:
* Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace, Anna Karenina)
* George Eliot (Middlemarch, Adam Bede)
* Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, Great Expectations)
* Gustave Flaubert (Madame Bovary)
* Honore de Balzac (The Human Comedy)
* Mark Twain (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)
* William Dean Howells (The Rise of Silas Lapham)
* Henry James (The Portrait of a Lady, The Ambassadors)