Realist literature is an approach to writing that attempts to describe life without idealization or romantic subjectivity. Although realism is not limited to any one century or group of writers, it is most often associated with the literary movement in 19th-century France, specifically with the French novelists Flaubert and Balzac. "Realism is chiefly concerned with the commonplaces of everyday life among the middle and lower classes, where character is a product of social factors and environment is the integral element in the dramatic complications." (http://www.encyclopedia.com)

"Realist literature is defined particularly as the fiction produced in Europe and the United States from about 1840 until the 1890s, when realism was superseded by naturalism." In general, the realist works illustrate that writers must not select facts in accord with preconceived aesthetic or ethical ideals but must set down their observations impartially and objectively. They were mainly concerned with the faithful representation of life and they accomplished this by downplaying plot in favor of character and by concentrating on middle-class life and preoccupations, thus avoiding larger

Gustave Flaubert, in his novel, Madame Bovary, demonstrates his contempt for bourgeois society through his main character, Emma Bovary. She seeks after romantic love that she reads about in novels but instead finds herself the victim of shoddy affairs and multiplying debts that

Tolstoy, one of the main romantic authors, represents the romantic philosophy well in the character Natasha Roshov from his novel War and Peace. In spite of the many tragedies in Natasha's life, her final survival and triumph represent the glorification of the irrational forces of life over sophisticated and rational civilization. This exemplifies Tolstoy's high regard for irrationality, contempt for reason, and his ability to analyze character through the presentation of emotionally significant detail. (Cunningham, p. 453)

The basic aims of romanticism were to facilitate a return to nature and belief in the goodness of humanity; the rediscovery of the artist as a supremely individual creator; the development of nationalistic pride; and the exaltation of the senses and emotions over reason and intellect. Romanticism was a philosophical revolt against rationalism. Rationalism sought to portray society as it was instead of depicting it as a "dream world" where everything turns out alright in the end. Realistic literature sought to provid

Some common words found in the essay are:
Comedy Balzac, War Peace, Europe United, William Wordsworth, Emma Bovary, Balzac Realism, Fiction Realist, Madame Bovary, College Publishers, realist literature, Gustave Flaubert, supremely individual creator, contrast realist literature, realist literature romantic, romantic fiction, romantic literature, sought portray, artist supremely, supremely individual, individual creator, artist supremely individual, literature romantic fiction, literature romantic, contrast realist,
Approximate Word count = 897
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)