Name – Kapil

Course – English Hons. 5th sem.

Section – B
Roll No. – 20/53111
Assignment – Nineteenth Century European Realism
Book code – 909.91209 M 8311 R 98044

An artistic movement called Realism emerged in France around 1848

revolution. Since the early 19 century , literature was dominated by
romanticism, which the realists has rejected Later on . Realism revolted against
the exotic subject matter and the exaggerated emotionalism in drama of the
romantic movement. Rather. It portrayed the situations and people with actual
Briefing add much more realistic. not avoiding unpleasant aspects of life was
The optimal centre and not to focus on an idealized subjects and. Incidences.
That were. Previously not abridged in artwork. Instead of portraying the ideal
world Realism, family focused On how things appear to the eye. This
movement was the main frame for controversy, As it Criticised the upper
classes and its social values. Over the years there has been anger against
Romanticism. Which only represented inner feelings. But rather people wanted
to read. Truth telling stories instead of telling the inner depression crisis. One
of the most. Important, realistic writers Balzac Presents this reality. In a striking
way In Old man Goriot describing about the social situations from daily life,
Belgique tried to explain. By integrating people with their environment. Also,
the Age of Enlightenment had a great influence on this attitude of the first
realists. They believe that social problems will appear if deficiencies in human
nature and personality has completed. When feudalism collapse after the
second half of the 19 century , there were quite harsh conditions of capitalism.
Which made people even more alienated towards each other Leading to
Beginning of uneasiness. At this point, money value brought by capitalist
system has surpassed over other human values. In old man Goriot , Balzac has
shown that money means power But love does not mean anything as a reality.
As the novel starts, we can see there are 7 borders living in the masion vaquer.
And each one has an important role to play in the novel . Madam Couture is a
widow of a military pay master and has taken on care of victorine taillefer for
the estranged daughter of a wealthy man who has disowned her because he
suspects she may be the result of his wife’s adultery. , grey haired poiret and
an old maid, Madam michonneau , 40 year old but mysterious vautrin , pere
goriot , and rastignac who is aloe student sent by his parents to study in Paris.
Next be came to know the week guests are treated at maison vauquer
immediately takes up the theme of power of money in society. Those borders.
Who cannot pay are made to move up the stairs to less desirable rooms. And
those who can pay have comfortable and attractive lodgings . At the end when
old Go is left penniless. Even the Funeral arrangements, including the religious
services, are seen to be monetised relationships. Thus , money is treated as a
basic constituent of life, as the fundamental element of modern life. And. In
Bel Jacks, insistence on the details of its accumulation and dispersion lies a
large part of but he has to say in the novel about French history as it was lived
in daily life. Old man goriot show us people who earn, spend, lose and worry
about money and his. Shows us people living in the world of things. Next is the
relationship between Goriot and rastignac . through madame la vicomtesse de
beauseant , rastignac get to know abot his two daughters : anastasie and
delphine . There is a clear moment when rastignac came to know. That. To
succeed in this new world, he would need money which he plans to take off
one of the two daughters of old goriot . Having realise the importance of
wealth rastignac is immediately tested as to how far he’ll go to get money
when vautrin tells him about victorine taillefer’s problems with her father, and
how his money will be left to her brother after the father’s death. All these
instances are evident of the fact that is actually. Aware of how the society
works and how. Money. Can be influenced in and out through manipulation.
Rastignac is joined by the noble life of Parisians which made him ponder over
the efforts to be rich for which Later on started His efforts On Delfine. Next
week, come up to the characters of poiret and mademoiselle who were the
sake of some reward Betrays vautrin by helping gondelieu in arresting vautrin .
This shows their meager and selfish intentions which led them to betray the
person whom they were residing with . Coming up to the 2 daughters of old
goriot , anastasie and delphine , dear portrayed as reverse characters, as
daughter was supposed to be. They are only Sympathetic to their father and. Is
concerns when They they are in dire need of money from him . This only to
expect money from their father , both of them seem to be faking their
intentions to actually care for their father out of love. Which despite having
non all this. Old goriot still tries to make their daughters comfortable to life as
search has wealthy people even though it cost him to dodge down to poverty.
And lead him to a poor lifestyle where rastignac calls him pere instead of
moinsuir . this actually portrays the realist intentions ad a societical figure as
how the relations are left to be initialised and to take further on with selfless
proms. Thinking about madame vauquer , she also had selfish intentions to
offer a room to old goriot when he was at his wealthiest state in hope to
getting married to him and lead a clergy life . Later on when she came to know
that the former is losing. His money, quite strongly and when she finds out 2
rich women who seems to be from noble family and well dressed she thought
goriot a characterless person who is illusing his worth and all on his mistresses
which later on she treated him like a mean person . This all shows her actual
intentions of only concerning about goriot just because of her own selfish
dreams . The same is in the case of vautrin . When he suggests rastignac Tu
Meri Victorine by suggesting him to make latters brother kill so that the entire
worth of Victorine can be directed to rastignac where he himself can get a
favour of twenty percent out of it . THUS as so far from these instances , old
man oriot stands as a perfect example for realist society .