Young Writers Society

Okay, I'm sure this is going to sound like a really stupid question, but can someone who has a microbial (okay, so I made that word up) handle on this subject explain what realism in literature is? I sort of understand it, but not really.

For example, I think what it means is that instead of being all wishy-washy and flowery about a subject you stay true to what it is...aka the facts. However, if you wanted to go with that definition you would have to rule out all feelings and the like, though on the other hand taking those out would not be "real" since a person's reality is often very different to them. Ugh! Help!!!

I think I can help with this. Here's the definition given by Wikipedia -

Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of 19th century French literature, towards depictions of contemporary life and society 'as they were'. In the spirit of general "realism", Realist authors opted for depictions of everyday and banal activities and experiences, instead of a romanticized or similarly stylized presentation.

- and here's my explanation. This is basically saying that realism in literature is a story that shows life as it is rather than 'romanticizing' it which basically means making it seem better or more ideal than what the average person experiences. Does that help at all?

Heather xx