Realismus

Realismus, denotes in general the presentation of scenes, persons, actions, or speech in a recognizably lifelike and apparently undistorted manner. The difficulty of arriving at a precise definition in German literature has led to varied interpretation as bürgerlicher Realismus, sozialer Realismus, etc. Although works which can be termed realistic have been written from the Middle Ages onwards, the 19th c. has generally been recognized as the typical age of Realism, partly in contrast to German Idealism. See Sturm und Drang, Biedermeier, Junges Deutschland, Poetischer Realismus, and Naturalismus. For an approach to realism in aesthetics Schiller's essay Über naive und sentimentalische Dichtung provides an example.

For the form of realism which was official policy in the DDR, see Sozialistischer Realismus.