... century. In early realism empiricism in the portrayal of reality went hand in hand with a pronounced tendency to idealize the hero. This at first sight rather strange contradiction arose from the concept of freedom upheld by realism, which was based on Enlightenment philosophy and ethics. The historians of the novel have seen "realism" as the defining characteristic which differentiates the work of the early eighteenth century novelists from previous ... fiction. This use of realism has the grave defect of obscuring what is probably the most original feature of the novel form. If the no...

• Word Count: 3498
• Approx Pages: 14
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Graduate