Nineteenth-Century Literature: Trends, Novels, and Key Authors
Nineteenth-Century Literary Trends
After the Romantic movement, literature divided into two main currents: one aimed to accurately portray society, while the other resisted adherence to reality due to perceived artistic limitations.
The Realistic Movement
The Realistic movement began with authors like Stendhal, Balzac, and Flaubert. This realism later evolved into Russian spiritualist realism and Zola’s Naturalism. Writers were seen as doctors treating a sick society, experimenting with unpleasant aspects to ultimately find a cure.
The Anti-Realistic Movement
The reaction to Realism was French Parnassianism, primarily concerned with the formal perfection of literary texts. A little later came Symbolism, a movement that viewed reality as a starting point to reach the hidden truth behind it.
The Novel in the 19th Century
The novel allowed for the application of new scientific and philosophical ideas. It was easily understandable and technically undemanding. It developed into two main trends:
- The Popular Novel: Characterized by serializations, adventure, detective stories, and early science fiction.
- The Authorial Novel: Featured an omniscient narrator, character development, strong realism, and a focus on characters grappling with the meaning of life, the power of money, and other profound themes.
Periods of the 19th-Century Novel
- Pre-Realism: Combined Romantic themes with realistic techniques.
- Realism and Post-Realism: Encompassed Naturalism, Aestheticism, Symbolism, Existentialism, and more.
French Novelists of the 19th Century
Stendhal
Emphasized detailed descriptions and the placement of historical characters within society, as seen in The Red and the Black.
Honoré de Balzac
Offered a vast mosaic of his contemporary society, featuring over two thousand characters, many driven by base passions. His work is remarkably plausible, meticulously documented, and describes reality with caricatures and even fictitious episodes.
Gustave Flaubert
Sought character models that reflected society. He observed that Romanticism had created a frustration for the average person, focusing on ordinary subjects. A meticulous writer, he could spend months perfecting a single adjective.
Émile Zola
His work is Naturalistic and serves as a powerful critique of French society, attacking the misery of the proletariat and calling for rebellion against the oppressive bourgeoisie.
19th-Century English Novel
This period is largely defined by the Victorian novel. Industrialization, labor exploitation, and social unrest shifted interest from historical and sentimental novels towards social commentary. Colonial expansion also fueled interest in adventure stories.
Notable English Novelists
Notable authors include Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice) and the Brontë sisters (Wuthering Heights), who belong to this period.
Charles Dickens
His focus was social concern and disappointment. His early works often depicted the bitterness, sadness, and pessimism of his era, yet frequently offered hopeful outcomes. Later, his narratives matured, allowing characters to regenerate. His final period, however, was dominated by disappointment.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Author of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, his novels are dominated by the conflict between good and evil and the human effort to overcome reality’s obstacles. His narratives are well-structured but can be challenging to read.
Joseph Conrad
Born in Poland, he wrote in English. His novels are often adventure stories. Key themes include the confrontation with nature, social ostracism, and the denunciation of colonialism.