Lecture 13. Realism and critical realism

Tolstoy’ s second great novel, Anna Karenina (1873-1876), is a tragic story about the title heroine. Anna is the wife of Karenin, a political figure who cares for public reputation above family life. After marrying Karenin and having a child by him, Anna meets a handsome young officer, Count Vronsky, and falls in love with him. She wishes to be divorced, but her husband does not grant her the wish. She commits adultery with Vronsky, elopes with him, and has a child by him, but her husband still refuses to go through the process of divorce. Anna becomes more and more demanding towards Vronsky, who then deserts her.
Eventually, Anna closes her desperate life by throwing herself in front of an
approaching train. Contrasted with Anna’ s complicated story of love and life with
two men is the much simpler story of love and life that is Kitty’ s with Levin, which is
told as the subplot of the novel.
Tolstoy’ s novella, The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Smert’ Ivana Ilyicha, 1886), depicts meticulously not only the death of Ivan Ilyich but also the life that leads to the death. Ivan is like most ordinary men. He finishes school, gets a job, marries, has children, leads routine family and social life, gets promoted (to the position of examining magistrate), moves to a bigger house, declines in health, falls ill, seeks treatment, despairs of any chance to recover, suffers great pain, and dies. Meanwhile, no one seems to have any sympathy with him except his servant boy. His wife only blames him for this and for that, and his friends only wait for him to die and leave them a vacancy. Finally, however, Ivan accepts this life and death.
In Germany
Hauptmann (1862-1946)
At first, Gerhart Hauptmann wanted to be a sculptor. Later, however, he turned to writing and became a reputed playwright. He was influenced by Ibsen. His plays are essentially realistic or naturalistic in style and content. His finest play is The Weavers (Die Weber, 1892). It is written entirely in dialect, with the economic plight of the Silesian weavers as its subject matter.
The plot centers on a suppressed revolt of the weavers. In the play, Old Baumert lets his pet dog be killed for food amid the weavers’ woes of hunger, disease, and death. Old Hilse, who is against rioters, is fatally wounded by a chance bullet amid the marching song led by Jaeger (a returned soldier) and Becker (a maltreated weaver).
Discussion question:

1. 
   What is critical realism in World literature?
   
2. 
   What are characteristic features of Realism in literature?
   
3. 
   Why is realism in literature important?
   
4. 
   Where did the concept of critical realism come from?
   
5. 
   What is the meaning of literary realism in literature?
   
6. 
   How does a critical realist look at causation?