Realismperiod-3rd Sem Eng

Realism Period

? WHAT IS THE REALISM PERIOD

The literary movement that appeared in the late 19th
and early 20th century. It was a reaction to the
.romantic. Realism indicates how life truly is
Realism emerged as a dominant literary movement in the

19th century, primarily as a reaction against the
romanticism of the preceding era. While Romanticism
celebrated imagination, emotion, and the supernatural,
Realism aimed to portray life as it really was, focusing on
everyday experiences and the struggles of ordinary people.
This lecture will explore the key characteristics of realism
in English literature, its historical context, major authors
.and works, and its lasting impact
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Historical Context: The rise of realism in English literature coincided

with significant social and economic changes brought about by the
Industrial Revolution. Urbanization, industrialization, and the growth
of the middle class led to a shift in literary focus from the aristocracy
to the common people. Writers sought to capture the realities of a
rapidly changing world, addressing issues such as poverty, class
disparity, and the effects of industrialization on society.
Historical Context
Population of the United States is growing 
rapidly(1865 -1915)
Science, industry and transportation are 

.expanding
Literature also was growing, but most new 

writers were not Romantics or
.Transcendentalists. They are Realists
Historical Context
The aftermath of the Civil War meant 
that Americans were less certain and
.optimistic about the future
The idealism of the Romantics and 

philosophy of Transcendentalists seemed
out of date and irrelevant to many
.readers
Characteristics of Realism
Reaction against Romanticism (A literary -1
movement that focused around feeling,
imagination, and intuition) , and realism tend to
about real social theme
Realism is situated with truth and depicted -2 

.life and society they were
Focuses mainly on present issues and truths -3 

.from now rather than the past or fantasy
Focus is on the characters rather -4 
than the actual plot. They are focusing
deeper into the characters
The class of the characters are -5 

important and usually portray the middle
.or lower class
Diction is natural vernacular (talking, -6 
conversational).The conversations between
the characters are vernacular or informal
language
Events that occur in the story are -7 

predictable because of the lack of over
dramatization and fantasy.The events in
realism are completely realistic and reflect
our real life
LEGACY OF REALISM
The literary movement of Realism has had a profound and lasting impact on the
development of English literature. Its influence can be seen in subsequent
literary movements, such as Naturalism, Modernism, and Social Realism, which
built upon Realism's core principles. The emphasis on authenticity, social
critique, and psychological insight that defined Realism paved the way for more
sophisticated and socially conscious forms of storytelling. Moreover, the legacy of
Realism continues to be felt in contemporary literature, with many works seeking
to capture the complexities of human experience with honesty, empathy, and a
.commitment to realistic representation
Famous writers
LEO TOLSTOY: We can't talk about
Realism without talking about Leo
Tolstoy Because he wrote two of the
greatest works of Realism ever: War
.and Peace ,and Anna Karenina
Tolstoy was born in 1828 at
Yasnaya Polyana,His parents died
.when he was young
He got married in his early thirties. His wife
Sophia, who came from a sophisticated high-
cultured background was only 18..They had
13 children, 9 of whom survived infancy
Tolstoy's first great novel was "War and Peace"

published in 1869, when he was 41.died in
.1910, aged 82
Famous writers
GEORGE ELIOT: George Eliot-was
actually a woman named Mary Ann
Evans who published under a male
pen name so that her work would be
.taken more seriously
Georg Eliot, was an English novelist,
poet, journalist, translator
She wrote seven novels, Adam Bede 
(1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas
Marner (1861), Romola (1862–63), Felix
Holt, the Radical (1866), Middlemarch
(1871–72) and Daniel Deronda (1876),
most of which are set in provincial
England and known for their realism and
.psychological insight
Famous writers
CHARLES DICKENS: He is an English novelist 
was born in 1812-1870
He's famous for providing a view of English 
society across a spectrum of classes,
While George Eliot focused on life in the
country, Charles Dickens focused on life in the
city.
He wrote many books, including:
• Sketches by Boz (1836)
• The Pickwick Papers (1837)
• Oliver Twist (1838)
Dickens is able to show the problems in society 
during the time, such as these harsh conditions
for orphans and children, as well as the unfair
.factory jobs and debtor's prisons
Dickens also often makes fun of the immoral 
characters in his novels using satirical humour.
There are many examples of this throughout
Oliver Twist, where the misbehaving adults
around Oliver are made fun of through their own
.actions and hypocrisy
Famous works
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 
by mark twain 
A nineteenth-century boy from a 

Mississippi River town recounts his
adventures as he travels down the
.river with a runaway slave
Famous works
The Grapes of Wrath 
by John Steinbeck 
The Pulitzer Prize-winning epic 

of the Great Depression, a book
that galvanized—and sometimes
.outraged—millions of readers
Famous works
Death Comes for the Archbishop 
by Willa Cather 
There is something epic—and almost 

mythic—about this beautiful novel by
Willa Cather, although the story it tells
is that of a single human life, lived
.simply in the silence of the desert

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Realism Period

? WHAT IS THE REALISM PERIOD

Realism emerged as a dominant literary movement in the

Historical Context: The rise of realism in English literature coincided

Science, industry and transportation are 

Literature also was growing, but most new 

The idealism of the Romantics and 

Realism is situated with truth and depicted -2 

Focuses mainly on present issues and truths -3 

The class of the characters are -5 

Events that occur in the story are -7 

Tolstoy's first great novel was "War and Peace"

A nineteenth-century boy from a 

The Pulitzer Prize-winning epic 

There is something epic—and almost 

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