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Literary Realism

In: English and Literature

Submitted By lulub1991
Words 267
Pages 2
I believe The Death of Ivan Llyich best illustrates realism in literature. Realism goes towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." The story makes reality as real as possible and in comprehensive detail. One aspect of realism is that the character is more important than action and plot where complex choices are often the subject. Ivan Llyich is most definitely the most important person in the entire story, without him, the story would not be a story. Another aspect of realism is that the characters in the story appear in their real temperament and motive. Throughout the story, we are able to see Ivan’s real personality and how he thinks in life. He is more or less a grumpy old man who is very materialistic. The characters in realism tend to be in relation to each other, to their social class, or to their own past. All of these are true for The Death of Ivan Llyich. We are able to see how Ivan acts with other people, especially his family and how his past has not been a good one, which he realizes before his death. Also, in realism, class is an important thing. Ivan was very materialistic and cared a lot for his money. Being a judge, he was obviously well off and could be as materialistic as he wanted. A major aspect of realism was that authors kept their personalities and voices in the background. This is also true in The Death of Ivan Llyich. The Death of Ivan Llyich is by far the best example of a literary realism.

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