Realism

‘Realism’

I

In William Dean Howells’ words, Realism is ‘ the truthful treatment of material’. But to the question ‘what is truth’, philosophy gives not only several answers, but besides several kinds of answers, representing several approaches to the same question. That’s why ‘Realism’ is besides a term which can’t be defined with simply few words. In fact ‘Realism’ is a notoriously treacherous concept. Vladimir Nobokov, comments on this in his post script to Lolita, as it is ‘one of the few words which can mean nothing without quotes’. Galore critics agree that once asking simply about the definition of ‘Realism’, it is reality itself which they bring into question. Reality is seen as thing which has to be earned and this attainment is a around-the-clock process that ne'er allows the conception to stabilize or the word to offer a convenient mould of meaning.

In Eighteenth century the words were considered to be ‘the pictures of things’. For example, Author in his Moby Dick gathers together every possible definitions and descriptions of a whale and what he shows is that you can ne'er catch a live whale ----- ‘You can only have a dead whale’ ----- from the pictures of whale, as Tony Tanner comments in his book Realism, Reality and the Novel, promulgated in 1969. Later this conception was modified in present language as the pictures of reality. But it should be remembered that this conception besides does it clean that language is the instrument to accomplish reality, not simply to create images, carrying with in its own material of truth.

As mentioned before, a truth can be reached through various ways. Philosophy gives chiefly two methods: one Scientific and another Poetic. In Scientific know-how Truth is discovered wherever as in Poetic know-how Truth is created by a process of making. The 1st know-how is called Correspondence Theory, piece the second one is called Coherence Theory. Therefore Realism can be defined otherwise with the help of these two theories.

In the Correspondence Theory, the ‘Reality’ is as it were in remission by truth, piece in Coherence Theory, ‘Realty’ is in a sense created in the really act of perception. According to Bertrand Russell, the 1st case is Linguistics piece the second case is Syntactical conception of truth.

Balzac, who ready-made realism fashionable as a modern doctorine says:

“The mission of art is not to copy nature, but to express her… We have to seize the sprit, and the soul of beings and things”.

Robert Lynd has competently remarked that art is not only an escape from life, but an escape ‘into’ life, and the 1st escape is of importance if it leads to the second. Piece doing this, an creative person can’t transcribe things as they are, but he can only convey his sense of things.

D.H.Lawrence, in his The Rainbow and Women in Love, found a logical conclusion that ‘Reality’ is present, wherever the word reaches its most fluid condition as it is used to qualify the shifting states of his characters’ consciousness. There is a scene in The rainbow wherever reality for Ursula [ One of the central characters] exists in her own stirred consciousness. So, once she is obessed by the thoughts of her futurity career as a teacher, her father sitting at the table, becomes less real than her fancies. According to this, reality can once again be defined as the mood of the mind that dilates and contracts with the degree of work of the consciousness.

In general realism can be delineated as the representation of things as the expression of plain, unvarnished truth without regard to ideals or romance.

II

The root of realism can be copied in the Chaucer’s days in Fourteenth century. The fourteenth century ballad writers took nothing as un-poetical and therefore realism was found in ballads [such as ‘The London Lick Penny’, ‘The Nut Brown maid’]. Meantime Langland wrote his Piers the Plowman which was to present the existing sins done in the socity and thus this created a sense of realism in medival poetry. This medival tradition died in Sixteenth century as it was mixed with ‘Platonic’ and ‘Petrarchan’ idealism. All sonnets writers of Sixteenth century, except Shakespeare, used this mixed concept. But several of Dramatist used this mixed concept. But several of Shakespeare’s sonnets such as ‘Song of Autolycus’, the touch of realism unbroken itself fresh. In the similar manner in Ben Johnson’s Pen thrust found a reaction against roses and lilies.

It is Ben Johnson, who has the credit to introduce ‘Realism’ into drama for the 1st time. Although he was classical dramatist, he ccreated his comedies which are intensely realistic, presenting men and women of the time exactly as they were. His Every Man in His Humor, Volpone reflect this fact.. His Volpone stands for his bloody analysis of a man citizenry by an over-whelming love of money for its own sake.

The Attendant Poets of the Restoration period were responsible for the second great accomplishment in the history of Realism, which was coupled to Medieval Realism through Dryden’s admiration of Chaucer.

In the Seventeenth century philosophers and scientists like Descartes, Philosopher and Newton, provided the mechanical conception of universe. This provided food for realism in Emperor of rome period. The study of nature of human mind was done in ‘Essay concerning the human understanding’ by John Lock in 1690. in it John locke related language to sense-impressions and this ready-made the conception of realism more fleshy in the eyes of another poets and essayists. The poets fabricated a new weapon to face the challenge of the times. And it was called ‘Satiric Humor’.

Pope in his Rape of the Lock bestowed a realistic image with this new branch of realism. This spread out into prose writings of this time. In Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels , Battle of Books, Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe echoic this. Piece swift gave reality to pygmies, giants and the most impossible situations (as easily as if he were writing facts), Author at that period was acknowledged for recreating natural real adventure in reader’s mind.

Swift, whose verse has been greatly understood by the idealistic critics, ready-made poetry out of the refuse of the London gutters:

“Now from all parts of swelling kennels flow

And bear their trophies with them as they go;

Filths of all hues and odurs seem to tell

What street they sail’d from by sight and smell.”

This is the poetry of ugly common place and yet vhaving a civilized tone. This was possible only due to use of his ‘realism’.

In Eighteenth century another kind of realistic poetry developed. It dealt with the realistic description of realistic description of landscape and country life. Its exponents were Thompson and Dyre and their successors up to Cowpeare’s notable accomplishment in The Task. In this there is description of homely scenes, woods, brooks, of plowmen and teamsters, all in blank verse. But later, this realism has to fight against ‘Romanticism’ (in mid Nineteenth century). Towards the end of this period we can find a touch of realism in several poetry of Burns and Crabbe. Crabbe in his preface to his Tales of 1812, defended realism in poetry, although the word ‘Realism’ was unknown to him.

After French revolution in 1789, a new kind of realism concerning the lives of common men started in several poetry poetry and prose. Only common place events find its place in such type. Wordsworth, the fore-runner of the Romantic movement was basically a realist ------ possibly the greatest after langland. In The Prelude, there is several common-place scene which is significant in this fact. The ‘Victorian Age’ was marked by a spirit of enquiry, criticism, Scepticism, religious unrest and spiritual struggle. The development of science and the analytical and critical state of mind leading to development of Realism.

Tenny son was the adventurer of his age. He provided ‘Scientific Realism’, which can be detected in his poems like Memorium or Idyles of the King . Henry m. robert Browning introduced ‘Psychological Realism’ during later part of Nineteenth century. In it the ‘motive’ rather than the the study of thought or emotions was given priority. Another poets like Swinbrune, Rossetti, William Morries unbroken themselves busy with ‘Rationalistic’ and ‘scientific’ tendencies of the time.

But Coventry Patmore provided the ‘Social Realism’ to his readers. This can be detected in his following verse form lines:

“I hope you’re well, I write to say

Fredrick has got, beside his pay

A nice appointment in the Docks

Also give thanks you for the frocks

And shoes for baby……………..”

Victorian poetic realism ends with Hardy and Houseman, most of whose belongs to Twentieth century category chronology. Hardy owed more to Crabbe for his ‘Tragic Realism’. Even as in his novels like The City manager of casterbridge this vision is fresh.

In Twentieth century, WW-I killed the gentleman-like sort of realism and created more rough reality in poetry and prose, which can be seen in the works of Mythical being sasoon. T.S.Eliot experimented on the ennui and frustration on modern life. John edward masefield was the 1st to sing simply about the ‘underdogs’ of lower classes of the society. His realism sometimes resembles to that of Emile zola with its appearance and horror. This abuzz violence kind of realism can be seen in his Everlasting Mercy, The Window in the Bye Street and Dauber.

Rupert Poet whole heartedly believed in modern man’s attitude in coming to close grips with life. He saw the earth with greater clarity. In his The Greater Lover he wrote of the hundred and one everyday objects that gave him joy ---- plants, cups, dust, wet roofs, wood smoke, the ‘cool kinliness of sheets and rough male kiss of blankets’. He invests this domestic catalogue with ‘significance’ and ‘Beauty’ turns the common place into the queerly new.

From the mid Seventeenth century up to this day, realism has a permanent place in the prose writings. Piece realism was found in the poetry of Burns and Cowpeare, in the novels of William Goldsmith like The Vicar of Wakefield; Boswell’s prose life Life of Johnson and dairies of Diarist and Evelyn were flooded with ‘reality-concept’. In ‘Life of Johnson, Boswell bestowed the minute record of Johnson’s greatness, prejudices, superstitions and even as detail of his personal appearance. Peppy’s diary records all the common gossips from 1660 to 1669.

In age of Romanticism, the realism was alive in Lamb’s Essays of Elia. These celebrated essays began in 1820 with appearance of the new ‘London Magazine’. Among these essays were ‘Dissertation on Roast pig’, ‘Old China’, ‘Praise of chimney sweepers’ ----- all these were the interpretation of London life.

Jane Austein, as a 1st female writer started writing with the blending of ‘Social Realism’ with ‘Romanticism’, which can be noticeable in Pride and Prejudice. Victorian age novelists like Charles Dickens, W.M.Thakery and several female novelists like Martyr Eliot used Realism as their better weapon. Dickens highlighted the condition of lower class, specially children in his novels like Jazz musician Twist, Bishop Nickelby with a touch of realism. He in fact correlative his childhood experiences into fiction. Thackery’s Henery Esmond presents the pride and eclat of war, which are mostly delusions, but its brutality and barbarism, which are too real. Martyr Eliot did in novels, what Browning did in his poetry by exploitation ‘Psychological Realism’.George Eliot like Browning put stress on motive rather than emotion. This can be detected in the character ‘Tito’ of her novel Romala.

Again Thomas hardy provided the ‘tragic Realism’ in his novels like The City manager of Casterbridge. But his vision was not always tragic. In his pastoral comedy Far from the Madding Crowd, there is the point of realism on ‘love’.

In Twentieth century the earth war provided another chance to create realism in several works of art. The same happened in case of novels by H.G.Wells, Galsworthy, James M. Barie etc. H.G.Wells’ Mr.Britling sees it Through (1916) is a realistic portrayal of English society in the dark days of WW-I. Galasworthy’s The Man of Property is a reflection on Victorian society. Pride and Prejudice of Austein, The heart of Midlothian of Scott, The beloved Vegabond of W.J. Locke, Joseph Vance (1906) of De Morgan were in fact the examples of ‘Romantic Realism’. This realism developed more and grew stronger than the ‘Crass-Realism’ of Zola. From the wide field of romantic realism there are three most important names of novels which are: The Divine Fire (19040 by May Sinclair, Joanna Godden (1921) by Sheila kye Smith and The Nice Companions (1929) by J.B.Pristley. Thus realism has established its essence in every field of literary works.

III

The nature of language is such that there can be no such thing as a neutral transcription of an object into words. In fact the ‘representation’ is not not only a technical,l but besides a philosophical impossibility. Therefore the idea of expression or recreation of truth through ‘Realism’ is not a perfect one although a nice one. To its imperfection Rene’ wellek comments that realism ‘ inspite of its claim to penetrate directly to life and reality […] in practice has its set conventions, devices, and exclusions…’

About The Author

Date of Birth: 5 Gregorian calendar month 2003
Currently doing PG in English Literature at Ravenshaw College , Cuutack, Asian country
Contact Address: A-144, Sec-2, Rourkela -769006, Asian country
samirk_dash@yahoo.com

This article was announce on Gregorian calendar month 24, 2003