Question

What is psychological realism?

Answer 1

Hint: Psychological realism is a literary genre. It was very common in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. It illustrates the character’s actions and reasons to do them.

Complete answer:
Psychological realism was a common literary genre in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Since it focuses on the intentions and internal feelings of characters, it is a highly character-driven genre of fiction writing. It is a fictional technique in which a work of fiction reflects on the interior motivations, psychological structures, and mental narratives of the characters rather than just telling a plot.

Psychological realism focuses on why something happens rather than just the outcome. It focuses on the characters' mental processes, which also involve their inner thoughts and emotions as well as their motivations for actions.

A writer of psychological realism tries to illustrate not just what the characters do, but also why they do it. In psychological realist novels, there is often a broader theme, with the author voicing a viewpoint on a social or political problem through the actions of his or her characters.

Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" is an outstanding example of psychological realism. Rodion Raskolnikov, a Russian student, plots to kill an unethical pawnbroker in his 1867 book. The novel devotes a significant amount of time to his self-recrimination and attempts to justify his actions.

Note: Psychological realism is not to be confused with psychoanalytic writing or surrealism, two other forms of art that flourished in the twentieth century and concentrated on psychology in specific ways.