Ism’s
Agh...to many “ism’s”! A quick reference list of those
most frequently used.
Romanticism -Any creation is the “subjective” expression of the
individual and therefore is art. There is no understanding only expression.
Romanticism emphasized the role of the imagination and a subjective approach in creativity, along with freedom of thought and expression. In their prefaces, manifestos, and articles, the romantics called for the abolition of the rules created in the 17th century by the French Academy. They opposed any limitations placed upon the individual artist by cultural or political powers.
Realism -Finds subjectivity to be to unstructured and therefore seeks to express through “objective” means. There can be no expression until there is understanding.
The concern for
accurate, detailed description. The pursuit of scientific accuracy, which began
among romantic writers, reflected a desire to keep pace with the scientific
methods and discoveries of the period. Often cited the inability of the romantic temperament to live in
the real world.
Naturalism -Using objective systems to interpret subjective expressions
to understand the individual.
Understanding through expression.
Application of
scientific methods to the study of human nature and history. Asserted the importance of such formative
influences as race, heredity, environment, and historical moment on human
character and society. Naturalist
writers also aimed at an objective depiction of life. They believed human
behavior was determined by hereditary instincts and emotions and by the social
and economic environment, rather than by free will.
Symbolism -Art for arts sake.
Wanted to evoke rather than describe. To do so, they used fluid versification, impressions, intuitions, and sensations. A symbol was not meant to symbolize a specific idea, thing, person, or place, but rather to provoke and evoke different associations in different viewers.
Existentialism -The art of choosing.
A philosophical
movement or tendency. Emphasis on concrete individual existence (individual
subjectivity, freedom, and choice). Expressed a belief in the absurdity of human existence and
emphasized the idea of personal responsibility for one's actions in a world
beyond their comprehension. All existentialists have followed Kierkegaard in
stressing the importance of passionate individual action in deciding questions
of both morality and truth. They have insisted, accordingly, that personal
experience and acting on one's own convictions are essential in arriving at the
truth. Thus, the understanding of a situation by someone involved in that
situation is superior to that of a detached, objective observer.
Absurdism -Plays point out the inadequacy of language for
communication and the absence of meaning in everyday life.
Common
characteristics include the fragmentation of plot, chronology, and characters;
the use of innovative narrative techniques; the blurring of boundaries between
poetry, drama, and the novel; and the theme of the incommunicability of
language. To this end, they use inconsistent and even interchangeable
characters, illogical or nonexistent plot development, and parody of the
conventions of theatre. Much of modern French poetry, theater of the absurd,
and the new novel have in common a deep skepticism and even pessimism about the
possibility of knowing "reality", especially through the use of
language.