A specific artistic movement, principally in the novel, aimed to depict subjects as they exist in third-person objective reality, without idealization or artifice. It seeks to represent events, social conditions, and people’s lives as truthfully and accurately as possible. A key characteristic is the focus on everyday life, particularly the middle and lower classes, and often includes detailed descriptions of commonplace settings and occurrences. As an illustration, works within this mode might portray the hardships faced by working-class families in industrial cities, reflecting the social and economic realities of their existence without romanticizing their circumstances.
The significance of this approach lies in its commitment to social commentary and its potential to foster empathy and understanding. By presenting an unvarnished picture of society, it can prompt reflection on social injustices and inequalities. Its emergence in the 19th century coincided with significant social and political changes, including industrialization and the rise of democratic ideals, contributing to a shift in artistic focus from the heroic and romantic to the ordinary and commonplace. This movement departed from previous trends that emphasized idealized characters and fantastical settings, choosing instead to concentrate on the tangible and verifiable.
