EARLY AMERICAN LITERATURE MAGAZINE Early American Literature Magazine exam | Page 26


The novel as a literary genre par excellence: for realistic writers, the novel was
the most appropriate means to capture reality. The realistic novel stands out for
having a linear and chronological structure of events.
 Use of the omniscient narrator: who manages and leads the narration.
 Inner monologue: apart from the use of the omniscient narrator, this narrative
technique appears more and more frequently in novels, through which intimate
thoughts of the characters are made known.

Likelihood: There is a clear opposition to fantasy literature, which translates into
a constant attempt to create credible stories, almost as if they were a "fragment of
reality."

Clear and concise language: the narrator expresses himself through austere
language and presents a clear and exact style to avoid difficulty in understanding
the reader. On the other hand, the characters' language adapts to their social
condition. Thus, in realistic novels different registers and levels of language
appear. That context?
Themes

Greater attention to detail (verisimilitude) may create a more detailed setting with
potential distractions from a simple narrative.
 Speech in realism is more vernacular and idiomatic
 literature of the common-place
 attempts to represent real life
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