ABSTRACT
I IF we consider works of art and literature from the angle of their genesis, we notice several, often contradictory impulses of creation. One of them is the author's need to find a refuge from the burden. of actual life either in an imaginary world or in wishful thinking. Another is the secret craving to take revenge upon life for one's frustrations, especially for one's disappointed idealism. In this case satirical mockery and sneering realism are likely to come into their own. At the opposite end is the impulse to play with reality in the benevolently humorous mood, known only to a man whose sense of proportion is strong enough to prevent him from taking too seriously either himself or the world-a disposition which makes him smile where a wounded idealist would grin, or gnash his teeth. Then there is the urge to enlarge one's perception of reality through exploring its wider aspects, its secrets, beauties, and also its horrors. In so far as this urge is expressed through the medium of literature, we obtain various grades of realism.
