As realistic political fiction, Jenny Erpenbecks Gehen, ging, gegangen (2015) and Christoph Heins Weiskerns Nachlass (2011) respond to discourse on literary realism that spans the past century. Erpenbeck and Heins novels use culturally-dictated frames and scripts, such as recognizable character types and familiar plot setups, to communicate messages about contemporary German society, positioning the texts within the genre of realism. The texts respond to Bertolt Brechts theories on realism, established in his 1938 essays from Das Wort. I examine Erpenbeck and Heins use of realism to communicate political commentary, as well as potential outcomes of this commentary. Heins exploration of the academic precariat in Weiskerns Nachlass implies an insurmountable historical continuity of the undervaluing of intellectuals. Conversely, Erpenbecks Gehen, ging, gegangens depiction of the German refugee crisis offers suggestions for individual involvement with this ongoing issue, though legal recommendations remain beyond the authors scope of analysis.