Components of Realism

Due Apr 2 by 9:30am
Points 0

In class on Monday, March 31, we came up with a list of attributes we expect to see when a story feels realistic to us (see below). Today we will add to and/or change that list as we think about what puts a story in the genre of "realism" after we discuss these readings.

Michael Martone Links to an external site. & Robin Hemley Links to an external site., Introduction to Extreme Fiction

E. M. Forster Links to an external site., Stories & Plots

Zadie Smith Links to an external site., Parents’ Morning Epiphany

List from March 31 & April 2

Stripped down syntax

3^rd person narrator’s voice aimed to desired audience

1^st person narrator’s voice is consistent with their character

No over-explaining

Realistic dialogue that sounds like the way people really talk

Even an unreliable narrator’s thoughts are based in plausibility

Mundane setting: real place we can go to or generic

Culture as part of setting

Human-centered stories

Human choice & agency

Character driven

Relatable

Realistic character development or growth

Fleshed out characters

Understandable motivations

Characters’ motivations reflect or address cultural norms/atmosphere of the times

Complex characters, perhaps even with contradictory thoughts or motivations

Empathize with characters, or find them interesting for other reasons

Characters react to each other in recognizable ways

Access to characters’ inner thoughts and feelings

Realistic conflict

Realistic stakes (smaller scale?)

Rooted in research or experience

Outcomes based in reality

Transparency

Nothing in the story's form or language calls attention to itself

Immersive—can feel what’s happening, reader forgets that they are reading

Sensory details, concreteness

Imitation of reality, mirror of reality, frame (readers focus on what's inside the frame), window on reality with clear glass, feel as if you're observing something

Cause & Effect

Linear/chronological timeline