Transcript Naturalism
Naturalism 1880-1910 (roughly) I. Background and Conceptual Basis A. Extreme extension of Realism… ► realism is a style (i.e. use of vernacular and dialogue) ► naturalism is a philosophy which uses realistic techniques ► Unlike realism, where characters have choice, naturalism expresses the theory of DETERMINISM Determinism ► Characters do not have free will; external and internal forces control their behavior. This belief is called determinism. All determinists believe in the existence of the will, but the will is enslaved due to a multitude of reasons. Life is prison of sorts; to think that we possess the key is tragically misguided B. Emile Zola ► French 1880’s) novelist (Paris, ► “Writer should be like a scientist”…examining human condition “as is,” dispassionately/objectively ► We are “human beasts”… and should be studied in relation to our environment C. Darwinism (+ social Darwinism) ► Prevailing social/biological philosophy in Naturalism ► Based on Darwin’s theories about “Survival of the Fittest” ► Human beings are subject to the laws of nature, including our base instincts D. The “dark underbelly” of Realism ►Typically stark, brutal, laced with despair ►Author remains detached and objective II. Naturalistic Plots and Subject Matter A. “Slice of Life” dramas ► “Chronicles of Despair”….raw, unpleasant experiences which reduce characters to degrading behavior in struggle to survive ► Reader views characters and events “under a microscope”…we never get too close to our “subjects” and feel distance -narratives almost always in 3rd person B. Characters “conditioned” and controlled by environment, heredity, chance, instinct Struggle for survival = dignity (closest thing to “heroic” in Naturalism) Naturalistic writers often use nameless and/or nondescript characters -removes focus from character and places it on their situation C. Endings often “tragic”…. ► …but not in classic Greek sense (no startling revelations or catharsis) ► An indifferent world wipes them away & the reader is left to ponder brutal realities of life ► Characters confront limitations in the face of immutable forces & degenerate III. Naturalistic Characters A. Victims…. ► …of social, natural and/or hereditary conditions ► …of their own animal-like instincts and desires B. Often ill-educated, lower class, socially deprived individuals ► Life is not fair, was never meant to be fair, and this is essentially the human condition ► Their lives are governed by forces of society, heredity, instinct, chance ► Free will is an illusion…attempts at free will are doomed by forces beyond their control Any form of hubris is severely punished C. Subject to Darwinism ► “Natural Selection” helps explain their fate… Society is a “habitat” in which all forces of nature apply and those least equipped to survive do not D. Principal characters are often representative types rather than distinctive individuals IV. Settings in Naturalism ► A. Urban, dehumanizing environments ► B. “Out in Nature” …against the elements ► C. Realistic, meticulously described V. Common Themes A. The “Brute Within” ►Uncontrollable emotions Lust/taboo Survival instinct Violence B. Types of Conflict… ► Man vs. Nature or Man vs. Himself (instead of Man vs. Society or Man vs. Man) ► Characters struggle to retain “veneer of civilization” as pressures threaten to release “brute within” C. Nature… ► …An indifferent force acting upon the lives of human beings ► Romantic vision (Wordsworth, Emerson) becomes Crane’s “Open Boat” D. Man’s futile attempt at Free Will ► Determinism: Free Will revealed as an illusion…one has little or no control ► Forces of heredity and environment as they affect—and afflict—the human condition ► Naturalism often darkly ironic, mocking in tone, little sympathy for the human condition A man said to the universe: “Sir, I exist!” “However,” replied the universe, “The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation.” -Stephen Crane (from “The Open Boat”)