Realism

by Lilian R. Furst (Editor)

Book by

Genres: Criticism

Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An introduction to Realism in literature as it emerged in the mid to late 19th Century. The book has excerpts by writers associated with realism and then excerpts from literary critics of various schools commenting on realism in literature. This is not an historical examination of Realism but a collection that might help a professor teach a class. This volume will be most interesting, therefore, to English instructors and graduate students of literary criticism, I think. It won't be everyone's cup of tea. It is written for an academic audience and comes with a fair number of references and obscure jargon.

Personal Synopsis: Realism's mission was to write fiction that eschewed such things as metaphor and literary stunts and focused instead on accurate representation of reality in writing. Time has proven this to be a quixotic goal and criticism has made an effort to explain why that is so. Subjectivity cannot be escaped and there is no reality that is not mediated by human perception and expression. We have Magritte's "This is not a pipe" painting to remind us of this if we find ourselves forgetting. The excerpts chosen for this anthology of excerpts show that the nature of the relationship between art and reality has been and, I think, remains of vital interest to artists and to anyone who looks to find truth, insight, and growth in art.