Realism, Naturalism and Heroes

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Realism, Naturalism and Heroes

• (and anti-heroes)

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Realism

• Trend in late-nineteenth c. fiction and drama
• Deliberate attempt to represent stories from real
  life seeming objectivity.
• slice of life the way it really is (but not
  all of it)
• Middle and lower class characters
• Common problems
• Attention to detail

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Naturalism

• A sub-genre of realism
• Biology Environment Fate
• We inherit certain biological facts
• Human instincts (organ stops)
• Genetic tendencies
• Human beings are animals
• We live in environments that favor or dont favor
  our physical selves
• We succeed
• We fail

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• Realism and Naturalism tend to produce stories
  that are
• tragic in a new way
• un/anti-Romantic

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Hero in Tradition

• He is godlike. He is or becomes a god or he
  undergoes an apotheosis.
• He is physically distinctive, often possessing
  superhuman capabilities.
• Often, he has a physical flaw or marking which is
  the key to his character.
• He is a voyager.

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• He is a representative figure, often a warrior.
• He is not an atheist.
• He is involved in combat against monsters or
  monstrous odds. He never fights with ordinary
  men (190).
• Often, he makes a descent into an infernal
  underworld.

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• He is admirable, enviable.
• He wins.
• Sometimes he has the power of metamorphosis.

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Anti-Hero

• A novel needs a hero, whereas here all the
  traits of an antihero have been assembled
  deliberately Notes from Underground

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• Anti-hero A central character in a work of
  literature who lacks traditional heroic qualities
  such as courage, physical prowess, and fortitude.
  Anti-heroes typically distrust conventional
  values and are unable to commit themselves to any
  ideals. They generally feel helpless in a world
  over which they have no control. Anti-heroes
  usually accept, and often celebrate, their
  positions as social outcasts.
  (http//www.galegroup.com/free_resources/glossary/
  )

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• Others define an anti-hero as a main character
  who has some qualities that we normally associate
  with villains but who also has enough heroic
  character traits to gain our sympathy.
• Wolverine, Hellboy, Blade, Hulk, Batman, etc.