Realism Flashcards
When did realism come about?
Realism is a late 19th Century movement that came about as a reaction to Romanticism
Why had romanticism begun to lose its appeal?
Romanticism had begun to lose its appeal as Europe was dealing with the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars as well as the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The art that arose during the Romantic period was very idealistic, and society became disillusioned with it
Why did realism come about?
Realism came about as a movement in which dreams had to be abandoned so that society could question actual conditions of the world such as poverty and crime. Society needed solutions to problems and they based these solutions on verifiable facts and scientific observation.
Who were the significant realist dramatists?
- Henrick Ibsen
- George Bernard Shaw
- Anton Chekhov
What were the plays written by the realist dramatists aimed at achieving?
They were aimed at achieving a deeper psychological realism in the portrayal of each character
What was acting like before realism?
Before realism, acting was exaggerated and melodramatic
When and where did the conscious movement towards realism begin?
In 1850 there began a conscious movement towards realism. It originated in France, and moved throughout the rest of Europe
What were realists concerned with?
Realists were concerned with striving to be as objective as possible in displaying a true, real-life depiction of the society in which they found themselves
What did the subject matter of realist plays deal with and what did playwrights attempt to do?
The subject matter of the plays tended to deal as closely as possible with the perceived realities of life, and the playwright attempted to make members of the audience believe in the reality of the situation which they saw depicted before them
Who is the most important director/theatre practitioner associated with Realism?
Konstantin Stanislavski
What is the term ‘the fourth wall’ derived from?
This term is derived from the idea that the fourth wall of a cube has been removed as the audience views the action
What does the ‘fourth wall’ determine?
This fictional ‘fourth wall’ determines the relationship between the audience and the action that is taking place on the stage
Essentially, what is Realism about?
- trying to capture the essence of reality through characters
- questioning reality and moving towards science to find answers
- man become the topic of much research
- psychological investigation and discovery (Sigmund Freud)
- realists believed that everything should and could have an explanation, everything is rational
