In Defence of RealismU of Nebraska Press, 1998 M01 1 - 220 pages In Defence of Realism is a powerful indictment of the fog of bad philosophy and worse linguistics that has shrouded much contemporary literary theory and criticism. Raymond Tallis, one of the most important critics of post-Saussurean literary theory in the English-speaking world, examines the reasons often cited by critics and theorists for believing that realism in fiction is impossible and verisimilitude a mere literary ?effect.? He clearly demonstrates not only that the arguments of critics hostile to realism are invalid, but that even if they were sound, they would apply equally to anti-realist fiction, indeed to all intelligible discourse. |
Contents
The Realistic Novel under Attack | 1 |
Introduction | 93 |
Some Theses on Realism | 189 |
Realism and AntiRealism | 213 |
Common terms and phrases
A.A. Milne actual advanced critics Alain Robbe-Grillet Althusser anti-realism anti-realistic anti-realistic fiction anti-realistic novel arguments artefact assertion Barthelme Barthelme's Barthes's believe Belsey bourgeois Boyd Chapter characters claim classic realism coherent consciousness contradictions course critique Culler discourse discussed Donald Barthelme Eagleton essay evaluation example existence experience explicit extra-linguistic fact fantasy feel ideas Ideological State Apparatuses ideology IISA imagine implausible individual intelligible Jonathan Culler Lacan language linguistic literary criticism literary theory literature Locus Solus London meaning Methuen narrative narrator nature non-referential objects oppressed plausibility political position post-Saussurean postmodern practice present quoted radical critic Raymond Roussel Raymond Tallis reader reading realistic fiction realistic novel realistic novelist reference referential relations Robbe-Grillet Robert Scholes Roland Barthes Saussure seems sense signifiers simply social society story Structuralist surrealism tells Terry Eagleton theorists things tion true truth unified viewpoint whimling whimsy words writing