Impressionismus

Impressionismus, a familiar and precise term in reference to painting, is also a useful, though less exact, expression when applied to literature. It is primarily used to signify passages or short works, whether in prose or verse, which evoke atmosphere (Stimmung). Impressionism in this sense can be found in a number of works in the 19th c. and 20th c., especially in the period 1880-1930. It can be validly applied to poems by Liliencron, Dehmel, Rilke, and Hofmannsthal among others, and to passages from the narrative work of many writers, including Th. Storm, Fontane, Th. Mann, and Schnitzler.