Overview

Realism has been disparaged for over a hundred years as an outmoded form, and, more recently, as a pernicious illusion, typical of nineteenth-century novels and Hollywood movies alike. After a long period of disrepute, realism has had in recent years something of a revival among critics and theorists. Yet this revival still represents a minority, and much of the old critique of realism remains taken for granted. This book treats realism as a persistent aspect of narrative in American culture, especially after World War II. It does not seek to elevate realism above other forms of fictional narrative – that is, to restore it to some real or imagined past supremacy. Rather, the goal is to reclaim realism as a narrative practice that has remained vital despite a long history of critical disapproval, by showing how it functions in significant recent works across media.

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9781009660099

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Author Information

David R. Shumway is Professor of English, and Literary and Cultural Studies at Carnegie Mellon University. He is the author of Rock Star: The Making of Musical Icons from Elvis to Springsteen (2014), John Sayles (2012), Modern Love: Romance, Intimacy, and the Marriage Crisis (2003), Creating American Civilization: A Genealogy of American Literature as an Academic Discipline (1994), and Michel Foucault (1989).

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