The Realist Novel

by Dennis Walder (editor)

This book guides the student through the fundamentals of this enduring literary form. By using carefully selected novels, the authors provide a lively examination of the particular themes and modes of realist novels of the period.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 1996

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book I read some 20 years ago as part of my undergraduate degree. Read again today and it's just as far-reaching and knowledgeable as it was originally. The chapters are divided between in-depth studies of novels including GREAT EXPECTATIONS, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and FRANKENSTEIN and more general explorations of the history of the realist novel. The cut-off date is the end of the 19th century. As usual with Open University text books, this is a highly accessible read and even complex topics are handled with clarity and plentiful explanation. The book closes with a number of short extracts from the work of literary theorists including Edward Said, Roland Barthes, and Mikhail Bakhtin.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proving very useful on a second airing!

[Aaron Wong]

Ugh.

[Richard Cubitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for my degree. Essential for all interested in realism and the debates surrounding it.