What We Are Who We Should Be Literary Realism - 1132 Words

â€Å"True realism consists in revealing the surprising things which habit keeps covered and prevents us from seeing.† This quote by Jean Cocteau provides an accurate summary of realism in American literature. Authors such as Raymond Carver and William Faulkner strived to expose their readers to defects, either internal or external. Their literature puts humanity under the microscope, and allows the reader to examine their daily life from a safe distance. Under examination, many shortcomings can be uncovered. Occasionally, an author will not only reveal these flaws, but provide a practical solution. More often than not though, realists will leave it up to their reader to formulate a cure. In A Rose for Emily, Faulkner looks back on the†¦show more content†¦Klein supports this point, stating, â€Å"The difficulty is that so much of what the story claims â€Å"we said† or â€Å"we learned† reflects the incoherence (and cruelty) of group thought.† (Klein 230) The inarticulate nature of groupthink is a defect present in many societies. Despite clearly exhibiting a concern about these issues, Faulkner does little more than expose these perceived defects of society. A solution is not offered. The behavioral patterns of codependency are almost impossible to correct, and gossip will persist in societies for years to come. Emily’s death was her escape from these personal and societal shortcomings. Faulkner is suggesting that death is the only way to rid ourselves of certain defects. Fortunately, not every writer is as bleak in their outlook on society as Faulkner. Raymond Carver addresses the ever-present issue of stereotyping in his short story, Cathedral. Before the narrator meets his wife’s blind friend for the first time, he imagines what it will be like having a blind man in his home. He remarks, â€Å"And his being blind bothered me. My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.† (Carver 84) Regardless of the fact his wife loves the blind man dearly, the narrator is poised to enter the situation with a negative mindset, simply because of an image adopted from theShow MoreRelatedThe Use of Magical Realism in Laura Esquivels Like Water for Chocolate1055 Words   |  5 Pagesmagical realism, a literary mode where the fantastical is seamlessly blended with the ordinary, creating a sort o f enhanced reality. Though magical realism is practiced by authors from other cultures, the works of authors Salman Rushdie and Toni Morrison, for example, are notable examples of non-Latin works in which magical realism has been used to both great effect and great celebration, it is in the works of Latin American authors where the style has flourished and made its mark on the literary worldRead MoreCharles Darwin And His Theory Of Evolution1248 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Civil War. With the departure from romanticism came the journey into the realm of realism. If Romanticism can be described as searching past the obvious in search of the ideal, then Realism is diving into the obvious to explore the ugliness, misery, and hopefully the truth of the world. In general, Literary Realism attempts to depict life as it is, with joys and sorrows, ups and downs. However, American Realism tends to focus more on the darker side of life, for not only had the nation just undergoneRead MoreRealis m and Regionalism: The Fine Wine Amongst a Vicious Vineyard in John Steinbecks Grapes of Wrath1124 Words   |  4 Pages Realism and Regionalism: The Fine Wine Amongst a Vicious Vineyard In John Steinbeck’s tragic, mangled novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the reader is shipped off into the heart of the great Dust Bowl in the American Midwest in the peak of American hardship. Through his use of realism in the era of the modern age, Steinbeck reveals the hardships that were faced by common American citizens during the Great Depression, and utilizes the Joad family in an effort to depict the lives of the farmersRead More The Awakening: Romanticism, Realism, and Local Color Essay1135 Words   |  5 Pagesnbsp;Romanticism, Realism, and Local Colornbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp; Imagine being far out into the middle of the ocean and at that moment, having to make a choice between judgment and individuality, death and life? In 1899, Kate Chopin composed a captivating novel titled The Awakening. Throughout Chopins day, the work was regarded as nonsense and a waste of time on her part. Critics found the main characters rebellion to be foolish and unlawful. At that age, it was believed firmly that women should be nothingRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1659 Words   |  7 PagesThursday (1954), The Short Reign of Pippin IV: A Fabrication (1957), Once There Was a War (1958), and as well many more. He died in 1968, Having won a Nobel Prize in 1962. Modernism Literary Movement - The Modernism Literary Movement is when in the 1880’s, Increased attention was given to the idea that we should push away previous norms entirely, Instead of revising past knowledge. In broad terms the period was marked by sudden and unexpected breaks with interactions with the outside world. TheRead MoreThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock: A Good Example of Modernism1066 Words   |  5 Pagesis to deal with new ideas.It is a break with the tradition.Modernist Poetry occurs between the 1890 and 1970.It’s key elements can be experimentation,anti realism,individualism.Experimentation means searching constantly.Anti-realism means to be against realism and concreteness.Individualism means to be an intellectual and to be an individual who has a self-confidence.The stress is mainly on the human mind rather than emotions.Many Modernist poets are from Universities,they appreciate their work aRead MoreThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami , 100 Years of Solitude, by Macondo, and Inferno, by Dante Alighieri973 Words   |  4 Pages Magical realism, as described by Michael Woods, is not a style of writing, just a modest fidelity to the magic of reality in places where we are not. Woods goes on to tell his audience of the allure of magical realism by explaining that reality in foreign places are more enchanting and exciting than probably anything a reader could think of. Woods sets out vague principles of what magical realism rarely resorts to. His list includes: dates, recognizable city streets, historicalRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1479 Words   |  6 PagesHuck Finn: The Truth In America’s History â€Å"Neither literature nor history should be changed to be politically correct. Huckleberry Finn should be taught using appropriate historical context.† (Brinks). In the December of 1884, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is published in the United Kingdom. The novel is known as a product of the literature of its time; it’s main focus on the element of realism. It is incredibly widespread, it’s popularity gained from being one of theRead MoreClassical Hollywood Style818 Words   |  4 Pagesstyle for most Hollywood films today. The Hollywood style is so effective in convincing us what we see on the screen is real that we often have to forcibly remind ourselves that it is only a movie. Oddly Hollywood, so often associated with everything that is fake, is also the home of classical narrative realism. Tinsel town has spent a fortune every year since the 1920s faking realism. What are classical Hollywood narrative films? Classical Hollywood narrative films have plots thatRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Aestheticism Analysis1585 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless.† This is a stark claim made by Oscar Wilde in the preface to his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (3). Along with the rest of Wilde’s preface, this sentence rebukes literary realism in favor of aestheticism. This is unsurprising to anyone who is familiar with the playwright’s other plays and lectures; Wilde