Goncourt, << gawn KOOR, >> was the family name of two French brothers who had an important influence on literature. Edmond de Goncourt (1822-1896) and Jules de Goncourt (1830-1870) wrote novels that provided the basis for the realist and naturalist literary movements in France. In their writings, they presented life among the lowest classes of society with rigid realism. Their novel Germinie Lacerteux (1864) ranks among the earliest examples of Naturalism in fiction (see Naturalism ). The brothers were also historians and art critics.
Edmond was born in Nancy, and Jules in Paris. Their residence in Paris became a favorite meeting place for writers, artists, and intellectuals. The brothers left an immense collection of anecdotes, incidents, and gossip about the literary world of their time. Called the Journal, the collection is an important aid to scholars studying that period.
