A Concise Companion to Realism offers an accessible introduction to realism as it has evolved since the 19th century. Though focused on literature and literary theory, the significance of technology and the visual arts is also addressed.
- Comprises 17 newly-commissioned essays written by a distinguished group of contributors, including Slavoj Zizek, Frederic Jameson and Terry Eagleton
- Provides the historical, cultural, intellectual, and literary contexts necessary to understand developments in realism
- Addresses the artistic mediums and technologies such as painting and film that have helped shape the way we perceive reality
- Explores literary and pictorial sub-genres, such as naturalism and socialist realism
- Includes a brief bibliography and suggestions for further reading at the end of each section
List of Illustrations ix
Notes on Contributors x
Foreword by Rachel Bowlby xiv
Acknowledgments xxii
Introduction: Reclaiming Realism 1
Matthew Beaumont
1 Literary Realism Reconsidered: The world in its length and breadth 13
George Levine
2 Realist Synthesis in the Nineteenth Century Novel: The unity which lies in the selection of our keenest consciousness 23
Simon Dentith
3 Space, Mobility, and the Novel: The spirit of place is a great reality 50
Josephine McDonagh
4 Fictions of the Real: All truth with malice in it 68
Terry Eagleton
5 Naturalism: Dirt and horror pure and simple 86
Sally Ledger
6 Realism before and after Photography: The fantastical form of a relatl“ó
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