Romanticism is the creation of scenes, plots, and images that are detached from reality through literary techniques. Romanticism can be revolutionary or counter-revolutionary, progressive or reactionary. Revolutionary romanticism advocates detachment from reality but aims to better reflect reality. It does not simply narrate events straightforwardly or copy past events verbatim, but highlights important plots and scenes, using stereotypical characters to reflect revolutionary spirit. Reactionary romanticism’s detachment from reality is to uphold reactionary regimes and conceal the realities of oppression and exploitation, by shaping unrealistic images to hide the flaws of reality, using falsehood to cover the truth. For example, the bourgeoisie is portrayed as chivalrous, fierce, and cunning, but in bourgeois TV dramas, they are depicted as noble, kind, and generous; the bourgeoisie, being parasitic and exploitative for a long time, is actually weak and morally corrupt due to extreme individualism, but in superhero movies, they are portrayed as brave, fearless even in death, becoming invincible and fearless supermen.
Realism also has two directions. Revolutionary realism aims to profoundly reflect the darkness and backwardness of capitalism and the brightness and progress of socialism. Bourgeois realism has both positive and negative aspects. Critical realism is positive, but its positivity is limited and only popular for a certain era, such as “1939” and “The Red and the Black.” In painting, there is also “The Fishermen on the Volga.” However, it is not critical enough; it only touches on some flaws of capitalism without deeply digging into the roots of these flaws or exposing the true darkness of capitalism. Sometimes, critical realism understands the flaws of capitalism well, and its critique is very powerful and pointed. When this kind of realism reaches its extreme, it becomes something that defends capitalism, turning into naturalism, which is devoid of any critical spirit and becomes meaningless; there are also so-called realisms that actually smear socialist scars literature.