This work of literary criticism examines the lives, artistic contributions, and narrative techniques of eight influential realist writers.
The book analyzes the works of Stendhal, Balzac, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Galdós, Henry James, and Proust.
Snow assesses the influence of the authors' personalities and experiences on their choice of subjects and literary styles.
Originally published in 1978, the book makes a robust defense of the realistic novel as a literary form.
The realistic novel used journalistic techniques and attention to detail to depict life authentically, aiming to report facts rather than comment or judge.