西方文化第九章西方文化第九章.docVIP

Division Nine Realism I. General Introduction In art and literature the term realism is used to identify a literary movement in Europe and the United States in the Last half of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. In Europe, the Realist movement arose in the 50s of the 19th century and had its origin in France. The realists wanted a truthful representation in their works of contemporary life and manners. They thought of their method as observational and objective. By the 1850s the term “realism” was applied to the art of Courbet, who used everyday scenes for his subject matter. In art and literature realism came as a protest against the falseness and sentimentality which realists thought they saw in romantic fiction. Realism means more than a literary method; it defines a particular kind of subject matter—the surface details, the commonplace actions and the tragedies of the ordinary people constitute the chief matter of the realist movement. Its language was usually simple, clear and direct, which the tone was often comic, frequently satiric. II. Realism in France Stendhal, is a French novelist and literary critic, whose works reflect the turbulent times and extreme individualism of their author. Stendhal lived through some of the most turbulent times in European history, he became aware that individuals were at the mercy of enormous social, political, and historical forces from which they needed to protect themselves. This self-protection, he felt, took the form of deceit, pretense, and masks. Stendhal became aware that individuals were at the mercy of enormous social, political, and historical forces. Stendhal dedicated his works to “the happy few,” whom he conceived of as an elite of extreme individualists who shared his belief in the necessity of skepticism and the value of energy and passion. To pursue happiness in contemporary society, Stendhal believed that the “happy few” had to mask their differences, pretend to conform, and abide by