Realist Conventions of Writing

Topic: What is a realist novel? How do Emily Bronte and Joseph Conrad depart from the realist model of writing? The main aim of the realist novel is to show and reflect reality as it really is. Through its credibility we perfectly know and can imagine certain situation from the plot. The most popular used metaphor of describing realist novels is ‘the mirror of reality’. Readers see reality in novels through certain conventions, namely the tools of narration, for example third person omniscient narrator, this kind of narrator is sort of God-like, all-knowing narrator. It also should be objective and invisible. Nest convention is how characters are described, namely as round characters, more complexity is shown. Also language used in novels is a specific one, there are very detailed and almost scientific descriptions it is possible to compare them to articles read in newspapers. Language of characters and narrator differs. Language of characters from middle classes is natural, colloquial, differences in social ladder are distinguishable, the language differs from written language. The narrator uses standard language of educated person. Popular setting in realist novels is for example are cities with factories and industrial places.
Both text reject realist model of writing and both are sort of romances. The romance is not a realistic genre. In Wuthering Heights and in the Heart of Darkness authors reject realist conventions, namely third person omniscient narration, feeling of objectivity, scientific language and the setting. In the Wuthering Heights we can observe first person narration and a Chinese box technique. There are more than one narrator, namely Nelly, Lockwood, Cathy’s letters and diaries, even Catherine and Heathcliff are narrators. Thanks to a Chinese box technique we have got stories within a story. During the story-telling narrators change and it is possible to go into one story and then another and another, as long as somebody else is