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 * The Realistic Novel and its Formation**

The realistic novel was quite different than what has been seen with earlier literature. The most popular form of literature had always been poetry. The realistic novel changed that. This form of literature used journalistic techniques in order to make the literature something closer to real life with facts and general stereotypes of human nature or nature. The attention to detail was made to just report the facts, not commenting or judging on the scene or character. The novels were about the common man, which also happened to be the struggles of the lower class. These struggles usually included a lower class citizen trying to gain upward mobility. Thus, a subgenre called Social Realism was born. One of the most popular novels of this time that is in the Social Realism genre is Charles Dickens //Great Expectations.// In this novel, a boy Pip unexpectedly comes into money and is asked to become a gentleman. The novel follows Pip’s struggles, and focuses on telling the whole truth about the character, both his good and bad actions and the reasons behind them. He was meant to be a very tangible person, one that the average person of this time could relate to. Pip was written to be very “real”, with all his flaws and positive attributes. The study of human psychology was also gaining ground during this era. The growth in knowledge of human nature helped in the writing of these books, giving authors a better understanding of people and the reason for why they do things. The realistic novels, especially with long monologues, were improved by the gains in the study of psychology.


 * Criticisms of Realism**

The realistic novel was very bold compared to the literature before its time. The realistic novel was meant to be life real life, so the literature would hold things in it that were taboo before, such as masturbation in the writing. It also showed a lot of the negative. Critics complained of authors only focusing on the negative, that things falling apart were too unpleasant. Realistic novels, like real life, didn’t always have a happy ending. It was also noted that not much really happened in the plot of the novels. The attention to detail of the character led to little plot development and payoff.


 * The end of Realism**

Realism finally turned into Naturalism by the end of the nineteenth century. With Naturalism, writers defined their character using their heredity and history. Ironically, many of the criticisms of Realism, were intensified in Naturalism, (very little plot, and an absolute obsession with the character).


 * Some popular realistic authors and their works**

Walter Scott (1771-1832) -//Ivanhoe// Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855) -//Jane Eyre// Charles Dickens (1812-1870) -//Great Expectations// //-Pickwick Papers// //-Oliver Twist// George Elliot (really Mary Evans) (1819-1890) -//Middlemarch// Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) -//Jude the obscure//