Test your knowledge with 20 commented exercises on the literary movements of realism and naturalism.
question 1
(PUC-PR-2007) Check the alternative that contains the correct statement about Naturalism in Brazil.
a) Naturalism, due to its scientific principles, considered literary narratives examples of demonstration of theses and ideas about society and man.
b) Naturalism used elements of the wild nature of 19th century Brazil to defend theses about the defects of primitive culture.
c) The valorization of the rude nature verified in the Arcadian poets is prolonged in the naturalist vision of the 19th century, which takes the decaying nature of the tenements to prove the evils of miscegenation.
d) Naturalism in Brazil has always been linked to the beauty of the landscapes of cities and the interior of Brazil.
e) Nineteenth-century Naturalism in Brazil spread a scientific and hermetic language in literature, making literary texts read only by intellectuals.
Correct alternative: a) Naturalism, for its scientific principles, considered literary narratives examples of demonstration of theses and ideas about society and man.
Supported by the ideals of evolutionism, scientism and positivism, naturalism in Brazil objectively portrays the society of the time. The most explored themes were, above all, social and human problems.
Through detailed descriptions, the authors of this period use a simple, objective and colloquial language, focusing on the faithful representation of reality.
question 2
(Fuvest) "And in that steaming, sodden earth, in that hot, muddy humidity, it began to worm, and swarm, to grow, a world, a living thing, a generation, which seemed to sprout spontaneously, right there, from that swamp, multiplying like larvae in the manure.”
The fragment of “O tenement”, a novel by Aluísio Azevedo, presents a fundamental characteristic of Naturalism. Which?
a) A psychological understanding of Man.
b) A biological understanding of the World.
c) An idealistic conception of the Universe.
d) A religious conception of Life.
e) A sentimental view of Nature.
Correct alternative: b) A biological understanding of the World.
In the excerpt above, we can highlight the terms related to biological nature (soaked earth, hot and muddy humidity, earthworm, grow, living thing, sprout, marsh, larvae in dung), whose world portrayed in the collective housing relates to the biology.
See too: Naturalism.
question 3
(Mackenzie) Tick the incorrect alternative about naturalistic prose:
a) The characters express man's dependence on natural laws.
b) The style is characterized by an intense descriptivism, capable of reflecting the pictorial visualization of the environments.
c) The types are very well delimited, physically and morally, composing true caricatural representations.
d) Its main objective is to deepen the psychological dimension of the characters.
e) The characters' behavior and their movement in space determine their narrative condition.
Correct alternative: d) Its main objective is to deepen the psychological dimension of the characters.
The characters that are part of the naturalist prose are described as products of the biological and social environment, where human behavior is directly influenced by the environment in which they live.
For this reason, naturalism is different from realism, since in the realist movement the works presented the psychological dimension of their characters.
See too: Naturalist Prose
question 4
(UFPA) The realist-naturalist characters have their destinies marked by determinism. This determinism is identified:
a) the authors' concern to create perfect characters, without physical or moral defects.
b) by the atavistic and/or social forces that condition the behavior of these creatures.
c) because it is specifically the result of the authors' imagination and fantasy.
d) by noticing the concern of the authors to go back to the past or the future when creating their
characters.
e) for representing the attempt of national authors to rehabilitate a lost faculty of man: the sense of mystery.
Correct alternative: b) by the atavistic and/or social forces that condition the behavior of these creatures.
Determinism was one of the theories on which the realist and naturalist schools were supported, whose human being was portrayed according to environment, race and heredity (atavistic forces).
See too: Characteristics of Naturalism
question 5
(USF-SP) Naturalism can be understood as a particularization of Realism that:
a) turns to Nature in order to analyze its cyclical processes of renewal.
b) intends to naturally express the simple life of rustic men in primitive communities.
c) defends art for the sake of art, that is, detached from commitments to social reality.
d) analyzes sexual perversions, condemning them in the name of religious morality.
e) establishes a cause-and-effect link between some sociological and biological factors and the characters' behavior.
Correct alternative: e) establishes a cause and effect link between some sociological and biological factors and the characters' behavior.
Although naturalism and realism arose in opposition to the romantic and idealistic vision of the previous movement, they do present differences, especially in the description of their characters.
Thus, in naturalism, characters are portrayed as fruits of the environment, without leaving aside the social and biological factors, which directly influence human behavior.
In realism, the psychological deepening of the characters is a striking feature of the movement.
question 6
(FMTM-2003) Mark the alternative in which features of the prose of Realism are found.
a) Objectivism; subordination of feelings to social interests; criticism of the decaying institutions of bourgeois society.
b) Idealization of the hero; love seen as redemption; opposition to social values.
c) Marriage seen as an arrangement of convenience; objective description; idealization of women.
d) Metaphorical language; protagonist treated as anti-hero; sentimentality.
e) Spirit of adventure; slow narrative; loving impasse resolved by the happy ending.
Correct alternative: a) Objectivism; subordination of feelings to social interests; criticism of the decaying institutions of bourgeois society.
Realistic prose presents, in a descriptive and objective way, bourgeois problems and interests of the time, where love relationships are masked by interests and marriage is questioned.
In this way, the main aim of realism was to show a faithful portrayal of nineteenth-century reality. It is worth remembering that this movement was in opposition to romanticism, in which sentimentality, the idealization of women and the national hero were the main characteristics.
See too: Realistic Prose
question 7
(FEI-SP) Read carefully:
I. "Second Industrial Revolution, scientism, technological progress, utopian socialism, Auguste's positivist philosophy Comte, evolutionism forms the sociopolitical-economic-philosophical-scientific context in which realistic aesthetics developed."
II. "The realistic writer approaches objects and people in a personal way, relying on intuition and feelings."
III. "The greatest representatives of the realist/naturalist aesthetics in Brazil were: Machado de Assis, Aluísio Azevedo and Raul Pompéia."
IV. "We could cite as a characteristic of realistic aesthetics: individualism, erudite language and the fanciful vision of society."
We verified that in relation to Realism/naturalism it is (are) correct (correct):
a) only I and II.
b) only I and III.
c) only II and IV.
d) only II and III.
e) only III and IV.
Correct alternative: b) only I and III.
Opposing the romantic ideals of sentimentalism and individualism, realism and naturalism emerged in the 19th century supported by in the theories of scientism, the positivism of Augusto Comte, the evolutionism of Charles Darwin and the socialism of Marx and Engels.
Both movements suggest the faithful representation of reality with the inclusion of common characters, as opposed to the idealization of romantic characters.
In Brazil, Machado de Assis was the greatest highlight of realistic prose, with his works Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas (1880) and Dom Casmurro (1899).
In naturalist prose, Raul Pompeia and his work O Ateneu (1888) and Aluísio de Azevedo with his novel O Cortiço (1890) stood out.
See too: Characteristics of Realism
question 8
(FMTM-2002) It was five o'clock in the morning and the tenement was waking up, opening not its eyes but its multitude of lined doors and windows. A happy and fed up waking up of someone who slept in one sitting, seven hours of lead. (...) After a while, around the spouts there was a growing buzz; a tumultuous agglomeration of males and females. One after another washed their faces, uncomfortably, under the trickle of water that ran from about five hands high. The ground flooded. Women already needed to tuck their skirts between their thighs so as not to get them wet; you could see the toasted nakedness of their arms and neck, which they undressed by lifting their hair all the way to the top of their hulls; the men, these were not concerned about not getting their fur wet, on the contrary, they stuck their heads well under the water and rubbed their nostrils and beards vigorously, snagging and sniffing against the palms of their hands. The latrine doors did not rest, it was an opening and closing of every moment, a relentless coming and going. They didn't linger inside and were still tying their pants or skirts; the children didn't bother to go there, they went there, in the back grass, behind the inn or in the corner of the gardens.
In Naturalism, the literary period to which Aluísio de Azevedo belonged, man is seen
a) in a negligent and self-centered way, concerned only with their own well-being.
b) in an active way, responsible for the transformation of the world in which he lives.
c) in an idealistic and romantic way, oblivious to everything that happens around him.
d) as responsible for the conditions of the environment in which he lives and capable of improving it.
e) as a result of the environment in which he lives, subject to influences beyond his control.
Correct alternative: a) in a negligent and self-centered way, concerned only with his own well-being.
The characters present in naturalist novels are quite different from those in the romantic movement, in which they were idealized. However, a characteristic that is seen in both schools is self-centeredness, which emerges, however, in a different way.
In naturalism, the characters are a product of the environment in which they live, being portrayed in an egocentric way, as noted in the excerpt above from the naturalist novel O Cortiço.
See too: the tenement
question 9
(Enem-2011) Dejected by the harmonious and nostalgic fadinho of the exiled, everyone went, even the Brazilians, concentrating and falling into sadness; but, suddenly, Porfiro's cavaquinho, accompanied by Firmo's guitar, broke out vibrantly with a Bahian cry. Nothing but the first chords of Creole music so that the blood of all those people would wake up right away, as if someone were lashing their body with angry nettles. And there followed other notes, and others, ever more ardent and more delirious. They were no longer two instruments that sounded, they were lewd moans and sighs released in a torrent, running serpentinely, like snakes in a burning forest; they were still convulsed, wept in a frenzy of love: music made of kisses and delicious sobs; caress of a beast, caress of pain, making a burst of joy.
AZEVEDO, A. The Tenement. São Paulo: Attica, 1983 (fragment).
In the novel O Cortiço (1890), by Aluísio Azevedo, the characters are observed as collective elements characterized by conditions of social origin, gender and ethnicity. In the transcribed passage, the confrontation between Brazilians and Portuguese reveals the prevalence of the Brazilian element, as
a) highlights the names of Brazilian characters and omits those of Portuguese characters.
b) exalts the strength of the Brazilian natural setting and considers that of Portuguese to be inexpressive.
c) shows the involving power of Brazilian music, which silences Portuguese fado.
d) highlights the Brazilian sentimentality, contrary to the sadness of the Portuguese.
e) gives Brazilians a greater skill with musical instruments.
Correct alternative: c) shows the involving power of Brazilian music, which silences Portuguese fado.
In the excerpt highlighted above, the scene focuses on the song that comes from Porfiro's cavaquinho and Firmo's guitar, animating the people of Cortiço.
In contrast, we can note the author's opinion about fado, the greatest musical style in Portugal: “Dejected by the harmonious and nostalgic fadinho of the exiled, everyone went, even the Brazilians, concentrating and falling into sadness”.
In other words, after the sadness of fado, Brazilian popular music appears, with African roots, to involve the environment and bring joy.
question 10
(And either)
the mulatto
Ana Rosa grew up; he had learned the grammar of the Sotero dos Reis by heart; she had read something; he knew the rudiments of French and played sentimental tunes on the guitar and piano. She wasn't stupid; he had the perfect intuition of virtue, a handsome manner, and at times he regretted not being more educated. He knew a lot of needlework; he embroidered like few others, and he had a small contralto throat that was a pleasure to listen to.
A single word floated to the surface of his thoughts: "Mulato." And she grew, grew, turning into a dark cloud that hid all her past. She was a parasitic idea, which strangles all other ideas.
— Mulatto!
This single word now explained to him all the petty scruples that the society of Maranhão had used towards him. It explained everything: the coldness of certain families he had visited; the reticence of those who spoke to him about his ancestors; the reserve and caution of those who, in his presence, discussed matters of race and blood.
(AZEVEDO, A. The Mulatto. São Paulo: Attica, 1996.)
Aluísio Azevedo's text is representative of Naturalism, in force at the end of the 19th century. In this fragment, the narrator expresses fidelity to the naturalist discourse, as
a) relates social position to behavior patterns and race condition.
b) presents men and women better than they were in the 19th century.
c) shows the little female culture and the distribution of knowledge between men and women.
d) illustrates the different ways an individual had to ascend socially.
e) criticizes the education offered to women and the mistreatment of blacks.
Correct alternative: a) relates social position to behavior patterns and race condition.
The main characteristics of the characters described in naturalistic prose were related to race, behavior influenced by the environment, as well as social condition.
In the excerpt above, we can see the term “mulatto” being used twice, which confirms the first alternative as correct.
See too: the mulatto
question 11
(PUC-PR/2007) On Realism, check the INCORRECT alternative.
a) Realism emerged in Europe as a reaction to Naturalism.
b) Realism and Naturalism have the same bases, although they are different movements.
c) Realism emerged as a consequence of nineteenth-century scientism.
d) Gustave Flaubert was one of the forerunners of Realism. He wrote Madame Bovary.
e) Emile Zola wrote thesis novels and influenced Brazilian writers.
Correct alternative: a) Realism emerged in Europe as a reaction to Naturalism.
Opposite to the earlier romanticism movement, realism and naturalism emerged in Europe in the 19th century. Although they have their own characteristics, both movements have in common: objectivism, detailed description and faithful representation of reality.
In addition, both were supported by the theories of scientism, the positivism of Augusto Comte, the evolutionism of Charles Darwin and the socialism of Marx and Engels.
The realist movement began in 1857 with the publication of Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert.
Naturalism, in turn, had as its starting point the publication of the novel Thérèse Raquin, by Émile Zola, in 1867.
question 12
(CEFET-PR) Select the alternative that best characterizes Realism:
a) Preoccupation with justifying, in the light of reason, the characters' reactions, their procedures and the sentimental and metaphysical problems presented.
b) The presentation of man as a being dominated by instincts, kinks, hereditary burden, to the detriment of reason.
c) The concern to portray reality as it is, without transforming it. The author, when reporting, should be based on documentation and observation of reality.
d) love is seen only under the aspect of sexuality and presented as a mere satisfaction of animal instincts.
e) Descriptive and detailed aspects, whenever possible, based on the observation of reality and the author's subjectivism and sentimentality.
Correct alternative: c) The concern to portray reality as it is, without transforming it. The author, when reporting, should be based on documentation and observation of reality.
Realism was a literary movement that was concerned with objectively portraying the society of the time, focusing on the psychological aspects of its characters. At the same time, it left aside characteristics of romanticism, such as: subjectivism, sentimentality, the idealization of characters.
It is worth noting that naturalism emerges as a radicalization of realism, with the presence of pathological characters (morbid, unbalanced and unhealthy) and the focus on the analysis of human behavior.
Some of the themes explored by naturalism are related to sensualism and eroticism.
question 13
(FCC-BA) Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas is considered a watershed novel in Machado's work because, based on it, the author
a) assumes once and for all the romantic view of reality, only outlined in the novels of the so-called first phase.
b) it inserts itself in the naturalist aesthetic, by denouncing social ills, pathological cases and the most repugnant aspects of society.
c) proceeds to a rectification of the work itself, through the voice of characters through which it denies the values of the first phase.
d) predates the modernist conquests, with a critical attitude towards industrial civilization and an attitude of denouncing the miseries of the rural world.
e) demystifies romantic ideals and takes a critical view that, stripping away the appearances that cover up reality, seeks the ultimate reasons for human actions.
Correct alternative: e) demystifies romantic ideals and takes a critical view that, stripping away the appearances that cover up reality, seeks the ultimate reasons for human actions.
Realism appears in opposition to romantic ideals associated with sentimentality, egocentrism, subjectivism and idealization of characters.
In Brazil, this movement was inaugurated with the publication of Machado de Assis's Posthumous Memoirs by Brás Cubas (1881). In it, the author makes several social criticisms, including the elite of the time.
See too: Summary and analysis of Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas
question 14
(ITA-2005) In 1891, Machado de Assis published the novel Quincas Borba, in which one of the central themes of Realism, the love triangle (formed, at first, by the characters Palha-Sofia-Rubião), gives way to a more complex dramatic equation with several unfoldings. This is explained why
a) what led Sofia to betray Palha was only her interest in Rubião 's fortune, as she loved her husband very much .
b) Mulch knew that Sofia was Rubião's lover, but she pretended not to know, as she was financially dependent on him.
c) Sofia was not Rubião 's lover, as her husband thought, but Carlos Maria, of whom Palha had no suspicions .
d) Sofia was not Rubião 's lover, but he became interested in Carlos Maria, married to a cousin of Sofia, and this one in Sofia .
e) Sofia was not effectively involved with Rubião, as she was attracted to Carlos Maria, who seduced her and then rejected her.
Correct alternative: d) Sofia was not Rubião 's lover, but she became interested in Carlos Maria, married to a cousin of Sofia, and this one in Sofia .
In Quincas Borba, Machado de Assis tells the story of the nurse Pedro Rubião de Alvarenga who goes to live in Rio de Janeiro, after the death of the philosopher Quincas Borba, whom he took care of. In the big city, Rubião meets the couple Palha: Cristiano and Sofia.
Gradually, he falls in love with Sofia, but his love is not returned. Although she is married to Cristiano, Sofia is interested in Carlos Maria who, in the end, marries Maria Benedita, his cousin.
See too: Quincas Borba
question 15
(Mackenzie-2002) Tick the correct alternative about Machado de Assis.
a) Although he was one of the greatest Brazilian writers of the 19th century, he did not get recognition for his work in his lifetime.
b) One of his thematic lines is present in the valorization of the behavior of the bourgeois man.
c) he Introduced Realism in Brazil in 1881, but turned to the naturalist style by thematizing pathological aspects of behavior.
d) One of his style marks is the critical language, which presents itself in a direct and dry way.
e) Living in a period of scientism cult, he lucidly questioned the absolute value of scientific truths.
Correct alternative: a) Although he was one of the greatest Brazilian writers of the 19th century, he did not get recognition for his work in his lifetime.
One of the greatest representatives of Brazilian literature, Machado de Assis, inaugurated realism in Brazil with his work Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas, published in 1881.
Although he worked as a writer, editor, and civil servant for much of his life, his writings were not properly recognized until after his death.
With a cultured language, use of humor and irony, his works criticize the bourgeois society of the time, customs, behaviors, as well as social institutions.
See too: Machado de Assis
question 16
(PUC) The confusion was general. In the middle of it, Capitu looked at the corpse for a few moments, so fixed, so passionately fixed, that it was not surprising that a few silent tears sprang to her... Mine ceased soon. I watched hers; Capitu quickly dried them, glancing at the people in the room. He redoubled caresses for his friend, and wanted to take her; but the corpse seems to have had it too. There was a moment when Capitu's eyes stared at the deceased, like those of a widow, without tears or words of this one, but big and open, like the wave of the sea outside, as if it wanted to swallow the swimmer from the morning.
The excerpt above, from the novel Dom Casmurro, by Machado de Assis, authorizes the narrator to characterize the character's eyes, from a metaphorical point of view, as
a) slanted and sly widow's eyes, in love with the morning swimmer.
b) hangover eyes, due to the force that drags inside.
c) cold bacchanal eyes, for the irrefutable sensuality and seduction they provoke.
d) spring eyes, for the color they emanate and the sweetness they exude.
e) oceanic eyes, due to the mysterious and energetic fluid they surround.
Correct alternative: b) hangover eyes, due to the force that drags inwards.
In the scene described, Capitu is saddened by her friend's death. Thus, of the alternatives, the only one that can be considered is the letter b "by the force that drags it in".
See too: Dom Casmurro
question 17
(CEFET-PR) Check the alternative that does not concern Realism:
a) Subjective purpose of emotion in prose.
b) Cause and effect is the author's concern.
c) The causes and circumstances are important.
d) A more restrained attitude than that of Romanticism.
e) commitment to defending opinions.
Correct alternative: a) Subjective purpose of emotion in prose.
In opposition to subjectivism and the exaggeration of the previous movement (romanticism), realism was a literary movement where the faithful description of reality was one of the main characteristics.
Realist writers, committed to presenting deeper psychological characteristics of their characters, choose common people to be part of the works, which had defects, uncertainties and manias.
Thus, they present a faithful picture of reality, where causes and circumstances are of great importance, generating effects in the plot.
question 18
(UFPR) Eça de Queirós stated:
“Realism is the anatomy of character. It is man's criticism. It is the art that paints us in our own eyes – to know ourselves, to know if we are true or false, to condemn whatever is bad in our society.”
To carry out this literary proposal, what resources are used in realistic discourse? Select them from the list below and then tick the alternative that contains them:
- Revolutionary concern, attitude of criticism and combat;
- Creative imagination;
- Characters resulting from observation; concrete and living types;
- Natural language, no frills;
- Concern with a message that reveals man's materialist conception;
- Sense of mystery;
- Return to the past;
- Biological or social determinism.
a) 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8
b) 1, 3, 4, 5, 8.
c) 2, 3, 4, 6, 7.
d) 3, 4, 5, 6, 8.
e) 2, 3, 4, 5, 8.
Correct alternative: b) 1, 3, 4, 5, 8.
The realist movement appears in the nineteenth century in opposition to romanticism, where characters were idealized and subjectivism was part of the works.
Thus, realist language is direct and objective, with the presence of criticism and social denunciation. The most explored themes are focused on social and everyday aspects.
In this way, the characters in the realistic works are faithful portraits of society, bringing together common people, with defects and quirks.
question 19
(Mackenzie) Check the correct alternative.
“But Luisa, Luisinha, turned out to be a very good housewife; he took very nice care of his arrangements; she was clean, cheerful as a little bird, like a bird friend of the nest and the male's caresses; and that sweet blond little being came to give his house a serious charm. (…)
They had been married for three years. How good it had been! He had improved himself; he thought he was smarter, happier… And remembering that easy and sweet existence, he blew smoke of the cigar, the traced leg, the dilated soul, feeling as good in life as in his jacket. flannel!”
(Eça de Queirós, Cousin Basilio)
a) Realist prose, with a moralizing intent, unmasks marriage for interest, so common in the nineteenth century, to defend an authentic love relationship, according to philosophical principles of Platonism.
b) Romantic prose analyzes human nature more deeply, avoiding the presentation of standardized characters in terms of passions, virtues and defects.
c) Realistic prose puts on stage typified characters who, metamorphosed into valiant heroes, correspond to the expression of conscience and collective values.
d) Realist prose, based on nineteenth-century scientific theories, undertakes the analysis of bourgeois institutions, such as marriage, for example, denouncing the fragile bases of this union.
e) Romantic prose recreates the historical past in order to make ironic national myths.
Correct alternative: d) Realist prose, based on scientific theories of the nineteenth century, undertakes the analysis of bourgeois institutions, such as marriage, for example, denouncing the fragile bases of this union.
In the work O Primo Basílio, Eça de Queirós presents a faithful portrait of Portuguese society at the time, highlighting the hypocrisy of the bourgeois class and social institutions such as marriage.
Thus, he criticizes the bourgeoisie making a psychological analysis of its characters, stereotypes and behavior.
See too: cousin Basil
question 20
(Fuvest-2004) Bearing in mind the differences between O Cousin Basilio and Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, we conclude correctly that these novels can be classified equally as realist only to the extent that both
a) apply, in their elaboration, the theoretical principles of the Realist School, created in France by Émile Zola.
b) they are constituted as thesis novels, seeking to scientifically demonstrate their views on society.
c) oppose romantic ideals and critically observe society and individual interests.
d) operate a sharp criticism of novel readings, which they consider responsible for the failures of women's education.
e) have as main objectives to criticize the ills of society and propose solutions to eradicate them.
Correct alternative: c) oppose romantic ideals and critically observe society and individual interests.
Both in the work of Eça de Queirós (O Primo Basílio) and in the work of Machado de Assis (Posthumous Memories of Brás Cubas), the opposition to romantic ideals are present, so that in none of them is there the presence of subjectivism and characters idealized.
On the contrary, realist works have a direct and objective language, while criticizing society, the bourgeoisie and institutions.
Realist writers, committed to faithfully portraying contemporary society, include common characters.
See too:
- realism and naturalism
- The Language of Naturalism