What is realism in literature?

Question

I read the adventures of Huckleberry Finn and my summer is asking me what realism is and how the work reflects this literary period. Im lost cuz i looked it up on dictionary.com but i dont understand. =( Help would be nice if you can thanks in advance =D

Answer 1

--Character is more important than action or plot

--Events aren't sensational, and there is little melodrama...the events are realistic

--Mostly written objectively (author doesn't put in his/her point of view much...no 'preachiness')

--Diction (word choice) is natural...not overly poetic. Tone is usually comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact

--Characters are complex and relative, and their temprements/motives are related to their class, each other, their own past, etc.

Okay, so, basically, someone who writes realist literature is trying to REPRESENT--not just depict--the world[America in particular--this is really an American technique] in an accurate way, and to explore people's lives in different ways/contexts.

Answer 2

It's like, to show the world as it really is. =] and do you mean summer school? =P

edit: Do say if you need more info

another edit =P : no problem and lol =P