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New Critical Idiom
Realism
Coming to prominence with the nineteenth-century novel, literary realism has most often been associated with the insistence that art cannot turn away from the more sordid and harsh aspects of human existence. However, because realism is unavoidably tied up with the gnarly concept of 'reality' and 'the real', it has been one of the most widely debated terms in the New Critical Idiom series.
This volume offers a clear, reader-friendly guide to debates around realism,
*ideas of realism in nineteenth-century French and British fiction
*the twentieth-century formalist reaction against literature's status as 'truth'
*realism as a democratic tool, or utopian form.
This volume is vital reading for any student of literature, in particular those working on the realist novel.
This volume offers a clear, reader-friendly guide to debates around realism,
*ideas of realism in nineteenth-century French and British fiction
*the twentieth-century formalist reaction against literature's status as 'truth'
*realism as a democratic tool, or utopian form.
This volume is vital reading for any student of literature, in particular those working on the realist novel.
- GenresNonfictionLiterature
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 23, 2012
There is no question that Pam Morris wrote this book in a defensive posture as her intention to defend Realism from its critics extends from her arguments themselves to the organization of the book. This led to some unwise decisions, such as making the first major section of the text deliver a summary of literary criticism against Realism, without ever having given a substantial exploration of the concept in the first place. This also led to quite a bit of divergent material in a relatively short book. In summarizing major theoretical positions of the 20th century and beyond, for example, Morris devotes significant space to criticism with indefinite relations to realist practice itself, while not spending enough space to give any more than cursory—often poorly communicated and sometimes badly understood—treatment to these substantial critical trends. So what we have is a slipshod discussion of Derrida's work, for instance, that only touches tangentially on realist literature. It frequently becomes apparent that Morris had neither the space nor the acumen to grapple with the concepts she had in mind. I should have recognized this the first time she used "deconstruct" as a verb to signify "dismantle," and it was abundantly clear when she used the verb "unpack" to describe an analysis she had performed.
A common sign of a bad argument is one that repeats itself without support, as if the author is most trying to convince herself. In this way, Morris repeats her few positive claims about Realism—it's not naïve, she says; it's based on a contract with the reader that it's possible to describe an external reality, she says; successful communication is the only basis for community, she claims. And claims again. Each time she repeats herself, we might hope for some support, but only a few brief forays into theory act as a foundation for her claims. When Morris turns to the literature itself, she often mimics a style of reading the excerpts she provides, for example in a New Historicist mode. But this too is often clumsy, over-simplified, or misinformed. Even when she begins to pursue a reading in the mode she advocates, it is unclear. Instead, she borrows liberally from post-colonial & feminist theory to say, more or less, "hey, a 'Realist' text can be complex," as if that were the issue, as if we ever doubted it.
In the end, this text has two redeeming qualities. First, it can orient people who have absolutely no background in critical theory on some very basic ideas in contemporary literary studies. Anyone with an inkling of the post-structuralist project(s), though, will be dissatisfied. Second, it gives a decent narrative of the progression of Realist fiction in 19th century France, as well as how the concerns of Realist writing in France differed from those in England. Again, this information will be best suited to the beginner. Overall, though, I could not help feeling that Morris simply doesn't get it. She doesn't seem to understand the nuances of modern critiques against Realism, and doesn't seem to have a grasp of how to defend her pet against these chimeras. And meanwhile, a more robust discussion of Realist techniques, sub-movements, historical progression, and otherwise would have been worthwhile, for both proponents and detractors!
This is the first Routledge book to disappoint me. It doesn't strike me as either a particularly good primer, or as sharing the quality of critical theory that this publisher normally presents. Regardless of whether you are seeking an introduction to Realism, or you are a professional looking for finely honed critical discussion on the topic, I encourage you to find other texts first.
A common sign of a bad argument is one that repeats itself without support, as if the author is most trying to convince herself. In this way, Morris repeats her few positive claims about Realism—it's not naïve, she says; it's based on a contract with the reader that it's possible to describe an external reality, she says; successful communication is the only basis for community, she claims. And claims again. Each time she repeats herself, we might hope for some support, but only a few brief forays into theory act as a foundation for her claims. When Morris turns to the literature itself, she often mimics a style of reading the excerpts she provides, for example in a New Historicist mode. But this too is often clumsy, over-simplified, or misinformed. Even when she begins to pursue a reading in the mode she advocates, it is unclear. Instead, she borrows liberally from post-colonial & feminist theory to say, more or less, "hey, a 'Realist' text can be complex," as if that were the issue, as if we ever doubted it.
In the end, this text has two redeeming qualities. First, it can orient people who have absolutely no background in critical theory on some very basic ideas in contemporary literary studies. Anyone with an inkling of the post-structuralist project(s), though, will be dissatisfied. Second, it gives a decent narrative of the progression of Realist fiction in 19th century France, as well as how the concerns of Realist writing in France differed from those in England. Again, this information will be best suited to the beginner. Overall, though, I could not help feeling that Morris simply doesn't get it. She doesn't seem to understand the nuances of modern critiques against Realism, and doesn't seem to have a grasp of how to defend her pet against these chimeras. And meanwhile, a more robust discussion of Realist techniques, sub-movements, historical progression, and otherwise would have been worthwhile, for both proponents and detractors!
This is the first Routledge book to disappoint me. It doesn't strike me as either a particularly good primer, or as sharing the quality of critical theory that this publisher normally presents. Regardless of whether you are seeking an introduction to Realism, or you are a professional looking for finely honed critical discussion on the topic, I encourage you to find other texts first.
February 9, 2018
هذه السلسلة رائعة لعرض مقدمة تعريفية رصينة عن أهم المواضيع الأدبية. تشرح بام وريس في هذا الكتاب مفهوم الواقعية وكيف تطور على مدى القرون. ظهرت الواقعية مع روايات القرن التاسع عشر وارتبطت بالاعتقاد أن الفن لايمكن أن يتجاهل الجوانب الأكثر قسوة من الحياة بل من واجبات الفن أن يصور أدبياً هذا الجانب من الواقع ويقاوم بقلمه السلطة والظلم والاضطهاد ومعاناة البشر كما فعل تشارلز ديكنز وجورج اليوت وبلزاك وغيرهم الكثير. تدافع الكاتبة عن اتهام البعض للواقعية انها "مجرد انعكاس أو محاكاة" للواقع أو الحقيقة وكيف أنها بالحقيقة أعمق من ذلك وتذكر علاقة كل من نظريات الأدب الحديثة بهذا المفهوم ابتداءً بالحداثة، مابعد الحداثة، البنيوية حتى مابعد البنيوية والتفكيكية.
January 1, 2020
Unfortunately, a weaker volume in quite a good series.
December 13, 2016
This is a very effective beginner's guide for those who want to learn the concept of 'realism' and how it has evolved over the centuries. Beginning with imitation to the actual terminology, realism, Morris has illustrated from different 'fictional' texts and has analyzed how realism works in literature. There are phrases and terminologies that Morris has borrowed from other thinkers, critics, and essayists, and has tried to explain in a detailed manner how realism can be objective and empirical though it is used in fiction. It serves as a foundational text in understanding 'realism'.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews