Literary realism is a movement and genre of literature that attempts to represent mundane and ordinary subject-matter in a faithful and straightforward way, avoiding grandiose or exotic subject-matter, exaggerated portrayals, and speculative elements such as supernatural events and alternative worlds. It encompasses both fiction and nonfiction writing. Literary realism is a subset of the broader realist art movement that began with mid-nineteenth-century French literature (Stendhal) and Russian literature. It attempts to represent familiar things, including everyday activities and experiences, as they truly are.