Poetischer Realismus

Poetischer Realismus (Poetic Realism), a term peculiar to German literature. There is no general agreement as to whether it should be used to characterize a period or to define a style. It is probably best considered as the generic term for narrative works written in an unsensational and unpretentious, yet consciously artistic, manner in a period roughly delimited by the years 1840 and 1880. The florescence of Poetic Realism after 1850 is often attributed to disillusionment with political activism after the Revolutions of 1848 (see Revolutionen, 1848-9). An important factor was the political structure of Germany, with its small units that bred provincialism. The same is also true of Swiss literature of the period. These factors probably explain, at any rate in some degree, why the German-speaking writers have a variety of ‘realism’ differing from that of the other important literatures. Conscious political or social engagement hardly occurs at all.

The most important writers usually classified as ‘poetic realists’ are A. von Droste-Hülshoff, Gotthelf, G. Keller, O. Ludwig, Stifter, Storm, C. F. Meyer, and Raabe. The general tone prevailing in their works suggests a desire to preserve the existing structure of society and an emphasis on moral duty and humane feeling. Class differences are accepted, including a distinction between upper and lower middle class. Where injustice or poverty is an issue the tone is mildly ironic or satirical rather than denunciatory. Keller epitomizes the spirit of the major writers when he commends the ‘Liederbüchlein für Handwerksbursche’, which the younger generation would replace with ‘Arbeitermarseillaisen’ (in Das Sinngedicht). Lesser works often tend towards sentimentality.

The term ‘Poetischer Realismus’, adopted by O. Ludwig, was coined by F. W. J. Schelling in 1802. A somewhat analogous term ‘poetische Materialisten’ had also been used by Jean Paul in 1804. Ludwig defined it in the context of his Shakespeare-Studien and Dramatische Aphorismen, admiring Shakespeare's ability to create scenes which seem convincingly realistic ‘ohne daß ein Wort darin naturgetreu wäre’. In his essay Der poetische Realismus he expresses his view that art should be neither ‘naturalistic’ nor ‘idealistic’. His use of the term Naturalismus has nothing in common with later German Naturalism, but denotes a diffuse imitation of reality, which he considers to be as one-sided as idealistic representations. Ludwig's alternative term ‘künstlerischer Realismus’ expresses perhaps more obviously his approach to realism in literature as the coherent artistic reproduction of reality. According to Ludwig, artistic realism avoids the monotony of idealism on the one hand, and on the other it disentangles the confusions of realistic detail. A wealth of shrewd and sensitive observations of the world, however small, is reproduced by artistic means and techniques of style without sacrificing the sense of permanence which characterizes human nature of all ages and environments (see also Stifter's Vorrede zu Bunte Steine).