Artistic Movements Unbearable Lightness Of Being

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In the novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Kundera applies ideas of Romanticism, Realism and Surrealism through the various characters and events that took place throughout the novel. Romanticism is portrayed through the paintings of Sabina. She reflects her emotions and imagination in the form of paintings. The paintings clearly identify the thoughts and ideas that were traveling through her mind and the Romanticist that she is within her paintings. Realism is exposed through the Communist Regime that was taking place in the novel. The regime reveals that the “real” world is corrupt and violent, unlike the thoughts that we would like to believe as being true. “... Tereza recalled the days of the invasion and the girls in miniskirts carrying flags on long staffs. Theirs was a sexual vengeance…paraded their scorn on beautiful long legs the likes of which had not been seen in Russia for the past five or six centuries.” (Kundera 135) This is a clear example of Tereza coming to the conclusion that the “real” world is a very vicious and brutal place. Surrealism is portrayed through Tereza and her way of not accepting the truth, even though it is clearly in front of her face. She knows that she is about to be killed, but she didn’t accept that fact, she still had some hope that she would be let go and be able to live with Tomas and Karenin. “The man did not force her; he merely took her arm. But as they walked across the open lawn, Tereza unable to choose a tree. No one forced her to hurry, but she knew that in the end she would not escape…she saw the leaves resplendent in the sun; she heard t he sounds of the city, faint and sweet, like a thousand distant violins.” She is unwilling to accept that death will come to her in any moment now, she is still living in her subconscious mind. And through these different techniques, Kundera employs Artistic Movements in his
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