The movement

• The movement took place during the second half of the 19^th century.
• Realism is opposed to Romantic fiction. Romanticism presents life as we would like it – picturesque, adventurous, or heroic. Realism is to present life as it actually is, as much as possible.
• Realism does not actually have to have taken place, but be realistic with credible characters.
• The Bible promised truth, a realist novel does not, it is one possible version of reality.
• What it definitely does is represent the world as it would seem to the reader if they were walking down the street, creating a sense that the character might genuinely exist, and the story could happen to them or a neighbour.

Characteristics

• The writer focuses on the everyday described in detail and with objectiveness, in such a way that it expresses ordinary experience to the reader.
• Even the novels that were more adventurous still had the same matter of fact tone to them.
• This “reality” is of course subject to the reader reading it, and it must simply fit into their opinion of “the ordinary”.
• Real vs. unreal / fantasy vs. unnecessary.
• It often focused on middle and lower classes.
• They opposed idealism.
• Realism deals with current day issues and is usually set around the writer’s time to give the fullest sense of reality, it deals a lot with social, political, and economical problems. This includes economic inequalities and class distinctions.
• Other themes include the affects of industrialization.
• Psychological factors are included in the character’s behaviour, looking into why a character behaves that way, and their thoughts and emotions during the process.
• Everydayness is reinforced even in the use of language and dialogue included, mirroring authentic speech patterns according to a character’s environment.
• Realist authors want the work to speak for itself and don’t leave clear morality lessons.
• Not only are the plots as realistic as possible, but also the characters’ outcomes strongly reflect the reality of the situation, happy endings are not just a given.
• The settings are fundamental to the story, they provide essential information about the characters, and help to understand them.
• The whole movement of Realism looks to reject the idealism presented by Romanticism, and provide the world as it was, unembellished.
• Everyday mundane habits and routines are now considered important enough to write about and reflect on, as influential parts of our lives.

Realism in Drama

• It was a reaction against sensorial melodrama.
• And a style of stage craft that aims to reconstruct the world on the stage.
• It drew attention to philosophical and physical problems of ordinary existence which melodrama never questioned; it saw a shift from being directly moralistic to portraying more faithful representations of social and individual fragmentation; there was realistic dialogue; and psychologically believable characters who were recognisable.
• Suspension of disbelief: the viewer becomes so involved in what they are watching that they forget it is just a play. They don't know how things will pan out, tragically or comically.