LITERATURA NORTE-AMERICANA

ANÁLISE DA ESTÉTICA DO REALISMO

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Olá!
In this class, you will focus on the artistic movement present in the mid 19th century, The Realism. This literary

movement is characterized by an objective approach of reality and the interest for social issues and its

deployment. We will also analyze the way to reinforce the social drive of that time.

Objetivos

In this class you will:

1 - Have an overview of the Realism;

2 - Analyze the approach of the Realism;

3 - Identify special features of the social issues of the 19th century.

1 Introduction
The class will mainly focus on the literary movement called Realism. Also, you will have the opportunity to

identify the social context of the 19th century, especially what the of middle-class life used to represent. Also,

you will get to know the influence of the Realism encompassing the period which started during the Civil War,

referring to American lives in many different contexts.

In other words, you will get to know more about an approach to art in which subjects are reproduced as

objective as possible, without idealization and without following formal rules as opposed to the excesses of

Romanticism.

2 The Realism
The faithful representation of “reality” or "verisimilitude" was the way the Realism was defined.

In fact, the Realism was a writing technique used to mean a subject matter. Besides, it was a reaction against the

Romanticism in a more systematized way.

In other words, the Realism is a literary movement that shows life without idealizing it. It also focuses on the

everyday, and on the ideology of objective reality of ideas.

We can not precisely time this movement. It is usually associated with approximately 1840-1890. It describes a

belief in the reality of ideas, and was associated with a group of writers who used this kind of ‘slogan’ for the

movement.

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In a nutshell, Realism in literature and in art represents familiar routine in an unidealized way. Although all

literary work shows some degree of realism, the Realism movement is a unique style.

All the literary content is simple and not more important than the characters. The characters usually belong to

the middle class and tend to express themselves just like simple people, not in poetic language.

Courbet's Stonebreakers is one of the most important painting in art history. (Gustave Courbet, The

stonebreakers, 1849, oil on canvas.)

3 The Naturalism
The Naturalism, however, was another literary movement related to Realism. The writers used to select ordinary

people and everyday situations for their characters. On the other hand, their emphasis were mainly on the

characters’ behavior with the objectivity of scientists, wich definitely differs from the Realism.

4 Realism X Naturalism
Many critics mentioned there is no severe distinction between Realism and Naturalism, which started during the

late nineteenth-century. At that time, the United States had grown quickly. There was an increasing democracy

and literacy, a big change in urbanization and industrialism. Immigration had also been increased, and a rapid

cultural shift took place.

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5 The Realism Approach
Now, you will get in contact with the main features of the literary movement:
• Social class is very important;
• Focus on characters rather than plot or action;
• Ethical choices are usually the subject;
• Complex characters’ personality traits are present;
• There is a frequent relation to nature in relation to the characters;
• Avoidance of sensationalism or dramatic symbols of Naturalism;
• Tone often comic or ironical;
• Objectivity;
• Natural diction rather than poetic;
• Later, Realism was kind of developed into Naturalism and Stream of Consciousness in the late 19th
century and it was left in favor of more abstract styles;
• Criticism of social conditions;
• Concentration on middle-class life;
• Simplicity and respect but little elaboration;
• Scenes of simple life;
• Honesty.

Saiba mais
Lecture - Romanticism and Realism. Assista aqui (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Rq3Fq1Q9R20).
Romanticism to Realism, assista aqui (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD761QCw9l4).
Romantismo x Realismo (Historical background in Portuguese), assista aqui (https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=7Ndl0fYbVG8).

Próximos Passos
Na próxima aula, você estudará sobre os seguintes assuntos:
• A ideologia do Naturalismo;
• A influência exercida pela autora Emile Zola;
• A obra de Crane: George’s Mother — a afirmação do discurso da masculinidade.

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CONCLUSÃO
Nesta aula, você:
• Distinguiu os temas principais do Realismo;
• Analisou seu estilo literário;
• Reconheceu as principais características de seus personagens e do contexto histórico.

Referências
BRADLEY, S. et al. The American tradition in Literature. 3rd ed. New York: Grosset& Dunlap, 1967.

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