The Realism Movement's Effects

The Realism Movement is a literary movement that took place worldwide and allowed people to think in a more logical way. Prior to this movement, authors, artists and composers thought and made decisions based on their emotions and feelings. This literary movement is known as Romanticism. Like the Realism Movement, Romanticism impacted and influenced literary genius throughout numerous European nations. Works such as The Lucy Poems and Lyrical Ballads were some of the many collections of literature inspired by the Romantic Period.

In the late eighteenth century, the Realism Movement took over these European nations and inspired a more rational way of thinking. During this time period, many people were encouraged to break away from the traditional way of life. The Realism Movement influenced works such as Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, The Swan Song by J.M. Synge and Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts.

Along with literature, the Realism Movement inspired musicians to be bold. Specifically, this movement directly impacted Russian music. “[R]ealism took [a] firm hold in Russia as a medium through which Russian artists could express a style that they considered to be uniquely their own, in contrast to more popular Western-European styles”. Composers such as Arnold Schoenberg and Ferruccio Busoni felt as if music is an art, and therefore, the concept of realism in music presents an error (Ewell). This movement inspired many changes, but not everyone agreed with those changes. The transition from Romanticism to Realism presented the opportunity to escape from an emotional to a more rational perspective on literature, and, specifically, Russian music.

Romanticism is a literary and artistic movement that emphasizes feeling and emotion that took pl...

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