Elements of Realism in The Gods Will Have Blood Anonymous College

Written by Anatole France, The Gods Will Have Blood is a novel written about the French Revolution; though published in the 20th century, the novel focuses on events that every French citizen could relate to in 1793. France paints his picture of the revolution using vivid imagery to make the novel feel both visceral and genuine. The Gods Will Have Blood is classifiable as realism because the author utilizes literary elements such as precise detail, quotidian life, and social critique throughout the novel.

Realism writing contains a large amount of detail and The Gods Will Have Blood is no exception. Anatole France uses detail throughout the novel to get the reader more invested in the characters and their surroundings to keep the reader interested. A prime example of detail in the novel is when Gamelin discovers a man climbing down from the attic, “At that moment, climbing down it, was a large man, rather elderly but with a handsome pink and florid face, who was holding with difficulty an enormous package of wears, yet singing to himself, “I have gone and lost my servant!””. (France pg.33). France could so simply describe this scene as, “an elderly man came down from the attic” but instead he paints a picture of what is...