Final answer:
Realists and Naturalists in the mid-19th century reacted against Romanticism by focusing on realistic, contemporary subjects and honest depictions of everyday life, often highlighting societal issues and the darker aspects of life.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mid-19th century Realists and Naturalists reacted against the Romantic writers by focusing more on the concrete aspects of ordinary life and providing a more scientific and objective viewpoint. They painted or wrote about everyday situations and common people with an emphasis on the truth and accuracy, often highlighting the difficult and unpleasant realities of life during the time of the Industrial and Commercial Revolutions.
Realist works portrayed contemporary subjects and social situations rooted in the now rather than the past, avoiding the exotic and exaggerated sentimentality characteristic of Romanticism. Naturalism, which grew out of Realism, went a step further to tackle controversial topics and the determinism of human behavior controlled by hereditary and environmental factors, without shying away from the darker aspects of life like poverty, disease, and vice.