The polyphony of late nineteenth-century Baltic realism
Taking a comparative literary approach, this exploratory
essay traces the polyphony of late nineteenth-century realism in the rapidly
developing literary field that comprises Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian
literatures. It highlights both the traditional and innovative aspects of literary
style in the oeuvre of the most important authors, such as Eduard Vilde in Estonia,
Rūdolfs Blaumanis in Latvia, and Žemaitė in Lithuania, usually considered pioneers
of realism in their respective cultures. Baltic literatures are deeply embedded in
the development of European literatures and during the period of realism also
started to make innovative contributions to the world republic of letters. Diverse
aspects – such as the social contexts of Baltic literary cultures; the coexistence
of different modes of representation during the last decade of the nineteenth
century; the competing representations of the countryside and the city; the growing
self-reflexivity and subjectivity of the characters – all point toward the variety
of literary strategies in late nineteenth-century Baltic literatures. This case
study traces the relationships between realism, romanticism and nation building;
realism, sentimentalism and popular culture; realism and naturalism; as well as
realism and modernism.
Article outline
- Realism, romanticism and nation-building
- Popular culture, translation and the role of the press
- From journalism to realism: Eduard Vilde’s literary tourism
- The overlap of realism and naturalism
- Realism and modernism
- Conclusion
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Notes
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Works cited