Realism is the reflection of all real life in the element of art, as stated by Theodor Fontane. But what does this mean in concrete terms? How does the poetic modeling of reality work, what role does poetic imagination play, and what about the tradition of Romanticism? The epoch volume on the 19th century presents the literature of realism in its programmatic nature and versatility. - Concept of the epoch and epoch boundaries: Periodization and contemporary self-positioning - Authorship and the literary market between commercialization and artistic claim - Literature in the context of industrialization, technical innovation, bourgeoisification, and nation-building - Concepts of realism: a depiction of externally visible reality or an illustration of the actual dimension of meaning? - The genre system: realistic representation techniques in novels, novellas, poetry, and drama.