American Narrative Realism: The Novel, Film, Television, and Theater (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781009660099)

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.

Author: David R. Shumway
ISBN-10: 1009660098
ISBN-13: 9781009660099
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 12/04/2025
Pages: 197
Format: Hardcover