Impressionism (literature)

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Influenced by the Impressionist art movement, many writers adopted a style that relied on associations. The Dutch Tachtigers explicitly tried to incorporate impressionism into their novels, poems, and other literary works. Much of what we would call "impressionist" literature is actually subsumed into a number of categories, especially Symbolism, with its chief exponents being Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Rimbaud, and Verlaine. Later exemplars of this type of poetry in the 20th century might include Rene Char and Paul Claudel, though they might resist this appellation.

Impressionistic literature can basically be defined as when an author centers his story/attention on the character's mental life such as the character's impressions, feelings, sensations and emotions, rather than trying to interpret them. Authors such as Virginia Woolf (Mrs Dalloway) and Joseph Conrad (Heart of Darkness) are among the foremost creators of the type.These novels have been said to be the finest examples of a genre which isn't easily comprehensible.