Realism v. Modernism

Realism and Modernism were two adjacent literary periods, with Realism ending at the start of World War I, which was the beginning of Modernism (Werlock "modernism"). Rather than being a reaction against Realism, just like how Realism was a reaction against Romanticism, and Romanticism against Rationalism, etc., Modernism seems to sort of incorporate some ideas of Realism into its own, new style (Werlock "realism"). It builds on the idea, bringing new philosophies to the table to enhance it. However, the two are very distinctive from each other, which is exactly why they are different literary periods.

For example, in Modernism, writings tend to be rather cynical portrayals of the world that are more accurate than Romantic views would have been. However, they are still not completely accurate, as they do not tend to see the good in society, government, and religion. True Realism would view both good and bad aspects of the world, rather than focusing on the fear felt at the time by writers and society alike.

One way that Modernism and Realism are alike is in that they are both forms of rebellion. Realism was a rebellion against Romanticism, stating that the world could not be summed up into just those desirable things, events, places, people, and ideas (Werlock "realism"). Modernism was a rebellion against tradition and tried to break all of the rules that constricted people, such as "rules" for women's clothing and behavior, rules established by religion, and even rules established by the government that were viewed as oppressive and unnecessarily restrictive, such as Prohibition (Werlock "modernism"). Both ended up being rebellions against something, though we can all safely say that Modernism was a more radical rebellion than Realism.

With Modernism, however, began a tradition of making prose as aestically pleasing as possible (Werlock "modernism"). For many writers, this meant being as plain and simple as possible, getting straight to the point (Werlock "modernism"). This can come in conflict with Realism when important details are left out, making the "picture" the piece of literature is trying to portray blurry and not as definite as something completely Realistic, especially in regards to the Naturalist movement within Realism (Werlock "realism").

Also, another thing more unique to Modernism than to Realism was the returned use of figurative language (Werlock "modernism"). Realism, in its attempt to portray life completely as it actually was, did not involve itself in hidden symbols or meanings to its poetry and prose. It was all about giving an accurate portrayal of life that could be easily understood and learned from. However, Modernism was a bit more blurry in its ideas. Modernists used figurative language, such a similie, metaphor, allusion, and symbolism to give what looked like a simple story a whole different meaning, making it into a reflection on the world (Werlock "modernism"). Realism would have simply written an analytical paper.

In short, Realism and Modernism can be similar at times, but in all reality, they are two very different literary movements. Modernism blurs the lines of reality, tradition, and the world to make a point, while Realism strives to make those lines as hard and definite as they could be. While they may seem fairly similar to the untrained eye, the two are like the sun and moon.

[u]Works Cited[/u]

Werlock, Abby H. P. "modernism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS589&SingleRecord=True (accessed June 2, 2011).

Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed June 2, 2011).