Literary Realism Research Articles

Literary Realism, Speculative Fiction, and Queer African Futures in Akwaeke Emezi's Freshwater

ABSTRACT: This article positions Akwaeke Emezi's novel Freshwater (2018) as a text that challenges definitions of multiple genres, namely literary realism and speculative fiction. I argue that Freshwater 's seemingly fantastical elements are in fact iterations of Igbo cosmology, which recognizes coterminous human and spiritual realms as part of material reality. By positioning Igbo ontology as the grounding principle of earthly existence, Freshwater contests the division of realism into multiple subsets (magical, animist, literary). Furthmore, I argue that the novel playfully refigures ogbanje identities and Igbo cosmological structures to envision new horizons for future kinship. Rather than speculating about futures that respond to African histories of European colonization, Freshwater reconfigures uniquely Igbo concepts such as ogbanje and iyi-uwa into means for queer agential re-destination. Thus, the novel shifts the speculative focus away from postcolonial efforts to "write back," and instead locates the basis for speculative futures within Igbo ontological structures. Freshwater 's complex navigation of not only multiple realisms and speculative fiction, but also tradition and change, defies easy categorization and instead offers open-ended avenues for queer Igbo and other African futurities.

Differing Eco-Phenomenological Discourses in Amitav Ghosh's Ecological Realism and Timothy Morton's Dark Ecology

This paper explores the contrasting yet complementary eco-phenomenological discourses in Amitav Ghosh’s ecological realism and Timothy Morton’s dark ecology. Both thinkers offer crucial insights into the Anthropocene, but they do so from different perspectives. Ghosh, through his historical materialist framework, focuses on the socio-political, historical, and colonial forces driving the current ecological crises. His ecological realism reflects the entanglement of human and non-human histories and advocates for a literary realism that incorporates the agency of nature. Morton, on the other hand, embraces post-humanist philosophies, specifically object-oriented ontology, to develop his concept of "dark ecology"—a framework that highlights the inherent strangeness, ambiguity, and uncanniness of the natural world. Morton introduces the notion of hyperobjects, entities like climate change that are too vast and complex to be fully comprehended by humans. This paper argues that despite their differences, both Ghosh and Morton challenge anthropocentric thinking and offer radical reconfigurations of humanity's relationship with the natural world. By placing their theories in dialogue, this paper underscores the importance of embracing both historical materialist and ontological perspectives to address the ecological challenges of the Anthropocene.

The Emergence of Modern Prose Narrative in Iraq: Maḥmūd Aḥmad al-Sayyid and the Search for Form

Abstract This paper examines the efforts of the early twentieth century writer Mahmud Ahmad al-Sayyid (1903–1937) to remake literary culture in Iraq. Al-Sayyid’s essays advocated abandoning what he characterized as socially disinterested and decorative prose, urging Arab writers to embrace a literature of social commitment. Al-Sayyid charted a path that sought to distance Arabic cultural production from European influence, envisioning literary rebirth through the politics of anti-colonialism and by establishing solidarity with other colonized peoples. Yet these efforts were itinerant and often contradictory. Al-Sayyid’s circuitous path toward an embrace of the realist short story embodies the complexities of cultural formation during a dramatic historical shift. Aesthetically, these complexities manifest in the syncretism of al-Sayyid’s fiction, which engaged with and reproduced extant Arabic literary forms and themes. This article historicizes the emergence of a modern prose tradition in Iraq through critical assessments of the early modern Iraqi maqāmah and the short prose form of the ruʾyā, arguing that the circulations of these local forms were critical to the making of the reformist prose of al-Sayyid. It then examines the novella Jalāl Khālid, arguing that the text’s formal indeterminacy and narration of romantic and revolutionary failure inscribes an ironic stance toward the project of the nation and its aesthetic corollary, the novel. Finally, the article analyzes al-Sayyid’s short story “Sakrān” (1929), which is emblematic of a decades-long realist trend in Iraqi prose fiction that reoriented Iraqi prose toward a global trend of literary realism in the global south.

Nihilism in Modern Literature: The Case of The Catcher in the Rye

The present research examines cultural implications of the 1951 novel The catcher in the rye by J. D. Salinger. The paper analyses the intradiegetic sentences made by the novel's main character, Holden Caulfield, and investigates on the inferences drawn from them. To this end, it would be used a structuralist methodological approach created by Gérard Genette and Roland Barthes in the 1970s. The conclusions reached indicate that around the date the book was written, a new type of nihilism was common for new generations in themes, characters, and symbols found in literary productions. In such manner, it is suggested that realist literature with intimate and existentialist characters, as well as other cultural objects, allow us to infer which are the daily life conditions. In the case of our work, those conditions are based on social discontent and cultural alienation of adolescents, which is in this research outlined as a new type of nihilism.

Sounds of the Past: Creating Immersion in Video Games Through Diegetic, Pre-Existing Music

The modern state of gaming has seen a variety of interactive narratives play out in a variety of worlds. A major category of setting in video games is ‘the past’, whether that be a form of realistic fiction, an alternate history, or something which draws inspiration from some aspect of the real past to create an entirely imagined location. Despite the differences in their likenesses to our own world, many games referencing the past share a commonality in their musical soundtracks: the use of pre-existing music. Songs like “Drunken Sailor” or “La Cucaracha” are prolific, but there exists an ever-growing variety with less well-known examples. An interesting pattern which emerges in the temporal space of these games is the diegetic use of pre-existing music. Using pre-existing music comes with the risk of not aligning with a player’s expectations for a given piece, and using diegetic music creates a risk of misalignment between the action the player sees and the audio they hear. Combining these two modalities could initially seem to be not worth the collective risks, but games like Pentiment (2022), Assassin’s Creed: Unity (2014), and Life Is Strange: True Colors (2021) all successfully integrate their pre-existing audio with game narratives. What purpose does pre-existing, diegetic music serve to warrant its widespread inclusion in such games? An analysis of the three games and their respective examples will demonstrate the importance of integrating player expectations and experiences with the physical space established in the game to produce a more immersive experience.

Realism’s Reputations, Financialized Whiteness

This essay uses the legal rearticulation of reputation as white heteropatriarchal property in an “Imperial Jim Crow” United States to piece apart the preoccupation with characters’ reputations in realist fiction. It focuses on two later-nineteenth-century arenas of what property theorist and legal scholar K-Sue Park has called the “generative dynamics” of racial capitalism: new markets in private commercial credit and the socio-legal (re)production of reputation. In so doing, the essay unearths realism’s invisiblized generic presupposition that the idea of reputations that help create modern literary characters are a neutral or self-evident category of experience.

Portrayal or Betrayal: Heteronormativity and the Realism Burden in the 2022 Disney+ Pride Collection

ABSTRACT The presence and quality of LGBTQ+ representation in film and television has important implications for viewers, especially LGBTQ+ youth. This study conducted a content analysis of the 2022 Disney+ Pride Collection, a list of movies and episodes designated by Disney as including LGBTQ+ characters and stories. This analysis examined the depiction of LGBTQ+ fictional characters, finding that Black LGBTQ+ characters were more likely to be presented as adults and in romantic relationships compared to characters of other races, suggesting that their intersecting identities influence their portrayal toward more heteronormative scripts. In what we argue is a heteronormative evolution of the butch/femme binary, lesbian characters were frequently presented on a light/dark binary. Further, in what we describe as a “realism burden,” portrayals of discrimination and LGBTQ+ identity labeling were limited to realistic fiction and adult media, and were absent from the post-gay worlds of sci-fi and fantasy.

Sociocultural discourse of the theory of socialist realism and its reflection in village prose

In the work, in the light of the dominant ideas of modern cultural studies, the issues of reflecting the principles of socialist realist art in the artistic texts of the so-called “village prose”, in particular, in the works of V. Shukshin, are considered. Based on the analysis of the early Shukshin stories, it is shown that, contrary to established ideas, the canons of the theory and practice of the art of socialist realism did not restrict the creative freedom of the bright Soviet novelist, did not conflict with his author's will and creative task. It is demonstrated that Shukshin’s stories of the 1960s and 1970s, unlike the avant-garde trends of underground literature of those years, remained in the general mainstream of socialist realism literature, without opposing it. On the contrary, in the historical situation of the heyday and strengthening of socialism, the rustic writer continued to work in the tradition of realistic literature, on the one hand, inheriting classical foundations, on the other hand, at the creative level expanding the boundaries of ideological, thematic and moral-psychological principles of socialist realism literature.

A realist evaluation of the implementation of a national tobacco control program and policy in India.

There is a growing interest in studying and unpacking implementation of policies and programmes as it provides an opportunity to reduce the policy translation time lag taken for research findings to translate to policies and get implemented and understand why policies may fail. Realist evaluation is a theory-driven approach that embraces complexity and helps to identify the mechanisms generating the observed policy outcomes in given context. We aimed to study facilitators and barriers while implementing the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA) a comprehensive national tobacco control policy, and the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), 2008 using realist evaluation. We developed an initial program theory (IPT) based on a realist literature review of tobacco control policies in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Three diverse states -Kerala, West Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh- with varying degree of implementation of tobacco control law and program were chosen as case studies. Within the three selected states, we conducted in-depth interviews with 48 state and district-level stakeholders and undertook non-participant observations to refine the IPT. Following this, we organized two regional consultations covering stakeholders from 20 Indian states for a second iteration to further refine the program theory. A total of 300 Intervention-Context-Actor-Mechanism-Outcome (ICAMO) configurations were developed from the interview data, which were later synthesized into state-specific narrative program theories for Kerala, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh. We identified five mechanisms: collective action, felt accountability, individual motivation, fear, and prioritization that were (or were not) triggered leading to diverse implementation outcomes. We identified facilitators and barriers to implementing the COTPA and the NTCP, which have important research and practical implications for furthering the implementation of these policies as well as implementation research in India. In the future, researchers could build on the refined program theory proposed in this study to develop a middle-range theory to explain tobacco control policy implementation in India and other LMICs.

Realist analysis of qualitative data in health professions education research.

Qualitative realist analysis is gaining in popularity in health professions education research (HPER) as part of theory-driven program evaluation. Although realist approaches such as syntheses and evaluations typically advocate mixed methods, qualitative data dominate currently. Various forms of qualitative analysis have been articulated in HPER, yet realist analysis has not. Although realist analysis is interpretive, it moves beyond description to explain generative causation employing retroductive theorising. Ultimately, it attempts to build and/or 'test' (confirm, refute or refine) theory about how, why, for whom, when and to what extent programs work using the context-mechanism-outcome configuration (CMOC) heuristic. This paper aims to help readers better critique, conduct and report qualitative realist analysis. We describe four fundamentals of qualitative realist analysis: (1) simultaneous data collection/analysis; (2) retroductive theorising; (3) configurational analysis (involving iterative phases of identifying CMOCs, synthesising CMOCs into demi-regularities and translating demi-regularities into program theory); and (4) realist analysis quality (relevance, rigour, richness). Next, we provide a critical analysis of realist analyses employed in 15 HPER outputs-three evaluations and 12 syntheses. Finally, drawing on our understandings of realist literature and our experiences of conducting qualitative realist analysis (both evaluations and syntheses), we articulate three common analysis challenges (coding, consolidation and mapping) and strategies to mitigate these challenges (teamwork, reflexivity and consultation, use of data analysis software and graphical representations of program theory). Based on our critical analysis of the literature and realist analysis experiences, we encourage researchers, peer reviewers and readers to better understand qualitative realist analysis fundamentals. Realist analysts should draw on relevant realist reporting standards and literature on realist analysis to improve the quality and reporting of realist analysis. Through better understanding the common challenges and mitigation strategies for realist analysis, we can collectively improve the quality of realist analysis in HPER.

Disrupting Dichotomies, Dismantling Hegemonies: Studying Caste Reality in Fiction Through Omprakash Valmiki’s Amma and Other Stories

In the Hindi belt, Dalit literature has taken full shape in the post-Ambedkarite and post-Mandal Commission moments, making this literature layered with the understanding of caste, caste politics and its subtleties, with the central question revolving around the issue of realism. The genre of Dalit fiction transcends the societal and literary boundaries that are guided by hegemonic forces and lifts the cloak of invisibility from the ‘other’. It has the potential to disrupt the dichotomy between the centre and the periphery. By undertaking a critical study of Omprakash Valmiki’s anthology Amma and Other Stories, published in 2008, this article is an attempt to locate the creative and liberating power of Dalit fiction that is seamlessly interwoven with reality. Primarily placed in the rural and urban areas of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Valmiki’s writing situates the Dalit reality directly in front of the readers, all the while challenging the representation and prominent discourse of the Hindi literary tradition. It is in the context of realism that this article focuses on the new kind of realism brought in by Dalit fiction and the revolutionary inversion undertaken by it, which subverts and dismantles the hegemonic traditions of society and literature.

Unknown Galaxis, Known Struggles: Studying Realism and Idealism in Indian and International Science Fiction

Unknown Galaxis, Known Struggles: Studying Realism and Idealism in Indian and International Science Fiction

VIKTORIYA DAVRIDAGI REALISTIK ROMANCHILIK

This article discusses the history of Victorian realist novels, the rise of the novel, the evolution of Victorian realist novels, the characteristics of Victorian realist novels, and the publication of realist novels in newspapers and magazines. In world literature, it is recognized that the history of realistic novels of the Victorian era had a great influence on the development of humanitarian ideas, and that they fully described social life and existing problems in society.

Examining Realism and Societal Dynamics in Selected Novels of Shashi Deshpande

This research investigates the literary corpus of Shashi Deshpande, employing a qualitative and analytical approach. The primary focus lies on seven of her novels: "That Long Silence," "The Dark Holds No Terrors," "Roots and Shadows," "A Matter of Time," "The Binding Vine," "Little Remedies," and "Moving On." These works serve as the foundation for an examination of themes within contemporary Indian society, specifically with the aim of examining how her novels depict the interplay between literary realism, social dynamics, and the evolving nature of the family unit. The research is further enriched by consulting secondary sources, including scholarly articles and books, to provide a comprehensive context. Deshpande's portrayal extends beyond mere social critique. The study delves into how she addresses the challenges faced by women and children within the family structure, without advocating for its dismantling. By integrating Max Weber's perspectives on modernity within the Indian context, the research seeks to illuminate the internal struggles of her characters as they navigate the tensions between tradition and progress. The analysis reveals a critical exploration of persistent societal issues in India. Deshpande's characters serve as conduits to highlight often-overlooked societal problems, actively seeking solutions within a framework that acknowledges both cultural heritage and individual agency. Notably, a thematic shift is observed across Deshpande's works. Her earlier novels tend to focus on gender and the quest for personal autonomy, while her later tetralogy explores the transcendence of societal limitations by characters who strive to build strong and enduring familial foundations. By analyzing these trends, the study identifies common obstacles faced by urban middle-class families in India. Ultimately, it argues for the necessity of dismantling structures of injustice and oppression as a crucial step towards achieving a more just and equitable modern society. Furthermore, the research posits the creation of new social frameworks that dismantle traditional barriers and foster social cohesion as a potential path towards progress.

V. SOROKIN’S NOVEL “MARINA’S THIRTIETH LOVE” IN THE COORDINATES OF SOC-ART AND SOCIAL REALISM

The purpose of the study is to analyze V. Sorokin’s conceptualist novel “Marina’s Thirtieth Love” (1984), to identify the features of its genre-structural constructions, to trace the connection of genre features of the “Soviet novel” with the tradition of Socialist realism literature and its deconstructions in the practice of conceptual art of the 1970s–80s. The paper identifies the target settings of the conceptual novelist Sorokin to overcome the principles and techniques of Soviet socialist realist art and to establish discrediting perspectives of perception of social and ideologically stable “concepts” that developed in the post-October period. It is established that the imitation base in Sorokin’s “Marina’s Thirtieth Love” was the so-called “production novel”, a thematic subspecies of prose of socialist realism.

JAHON ADABIYOTSHUNOSLIGIDA REALIZM ADABIY OQIM, YO‘NALISH, USLUB, JANR VA BADIIY TUR SIFATIDA

In this article, the concept of realism in literature is primarily used in relation to the literary direction, type of literature, method, genre, style and flow, and it is said that it is a rich concept in essence. The term “realism” in literature is recognized as a period of fundamental changes in various folk literary studies. The features defining the uniqueness of this period are considered.

Magical Phenomena in Reality in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

This research examines the elements of magical realism, using descriptive qualitative method, a literary genre depicting magic in the modern world, in Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief." Applying Wendy B. Faris' theory of magical realism's five characteristics: the irreducible element, the phenomenal world, unsettling doubts, merging realism, and disruption of time/space/identity. The research identifies these aspects in the novel. The analysis reveals the novel contains irreducible magical elements like worlds, characters, and objects, exemplified by Percy's encounter with the shape-shifting monster Erinyes disguised as his teacher. The phenomenal world encompasses magical places and beings. Unsettling doubts arise from Percy directly addressing the reader about his experiences. Merging realism intertwines the magical realm rooted in myths with the tangible world, as monsters and gods frequently intermingle with reality. Disruption of time manifests when Percy experiences slowed time at the Lotus Hotel during his quest. The study concludes that "The Lightning Thief" exhibits all five characteristics of magical realism by integrating mythological magic into the contemporary setting. Irreducible magical elements, a phenomenal, magical world, narrator-induced unsettling doubts, the merging of mythical and real realms, and space-time distortions collectively categorize the novel as an exemplar of magical realist fiction.

The Antinomies of Latvian Literary Realism

This article traces the social and literary contexts of Latvian literary realism. During its rise in the nineteenth century, Latvian realism was seen as developing along the general lines of European culture that helped to foster aesthetic diversity and innovative potential. These processes are the focus of the first part of the article. The subsequent reshaping and distortion of the concept of realism during the period of Soviet occupation are then scrutinized in some detail. The investigation follows in the footsteps of the current rise of interest in realism, considering its importance in a broad spectrum of contexts, and claims that realism is an innovative aesthetic practice of great historical and contemporary relevance. However, it has also frequently been misunderstood or consciously misinterpreted by representatives of other aesthetic trends as well as misused by political regimes. The article points toward the necessity of restoring a sound interpretation of realist aspirations and their social and aesthetic contributions.

The Truth and the Pain: A Reading of Edouard Kayihura’s <i>Inside the Hotel Rwanda</i> and Marie Béatrice Umutesi’s <i>Surviving the Slaughter</i>

Literary realism focuses on everyday people, issues, characters, settings and situations that are real. Some writers engage realism to document their real-life experiences. The readers as well tend to gain access to real life events as vivid as the writers can recollect them. Fictitious approaches are avoided completely in these narrations. This is done to ensure that the readers can identify with the stories being narrated. Hence, the 1994 genocide has been the major focus of contemporary Rwanda prose narratives. They project the experiences of the people before, during and after the genocide. Also, some authors document their experiences as suggested by their therapists, because it usually helps as one of the coping mechanisms for trauma. This study delves into the analysis of two post-genocide prose narratives. It adopts the use of postcolonial and trauma theories as the tools for conceptualizing, understanding and interpretation of these prose narratives. Marie Béatrice Umutesi’s <i>Surviving the Slaughter: The ordeal of a Rwandan Refugee in Zaire </i>and Edouard Kayihura’s<i> Inside the Hotel Rwanda: The Surprising True Story and Why It Matters Today </i>are autobiographies, they depict the causes of the genocide, the outcomes, specifically on the victims and hopefully the solutions. Edouard Kayihura suffers harrowing experiences of perpetual fear, oppression and extortion inside the Hotel des Mille Collines, this is his own truth, debunking the inaccuracies of the movie Hotel Rwanda. While, Marie Béatrice Umutesi, a Hutu woman witnesses and experiences inexplicable brutality and hardship. She endures the pains as she journeys towards safety. This study interrogates the contributions of political hegemony and identity crises to varying degrees of trauma and explains that the experiences and pains of these writers are factual. It also establishes that these prose narratives serve dual purposes of correcting a false claim and projecting the pain of a Hutu woman, a unique diversion from the popular focus on the Tutsis.

Analyzing Truth and Fiction in Realist Literature--Taking Mao Dun’s Midnight as an Example

Analyzing Truth and Fiction in Realist Literature--Taking Mao Dun’s Midnight as an Example