Transcript The rise of Naturalism

American Naturalism
Focus of Study
 The Rise of
Naturalism
 Definition
 Characteristics
 Summary
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Historical Background
The rise of Naturalism:
1. Industrialism: financial
giants and proletariats.
Western expansion: the
impact of railroad
2. The theory of evolution of
Darwin and Herbert
Spencer: Darwin's The
Origin of Species and
Descent of Man(1870)
offered a great
challenge to the old idea
of man being created by
God.
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Human beings are subject
to the law of natural
selection.
man suddenly found
himself completely thrown
into an amoral world,
totally depending upon
himself for survival.
This helped form an
attitude of gloom and
despair.
New trends to answer the
theory in literature was
the rise of naturalism.
The Origin of Naturalism
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French influence: Emile Zola’s
biological determinism and
Flaubert’s economic
determinism
It aims at a detached,
scientific objectivity in the
treatment of natural man.
Man is presented as an
insignificant and helpless
creature who acts according
to his instincts in response to
his environments.
He is like a puppet at the
mercy of the physical
conditions which surround him.
Charles Darwin
Definitions
A type
of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles
of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings.
What is central to naturalism is the picture of an entrapped
man against an indifferent world. Such gloomy picture of
human existence emphasizes the powers of environment,
heredity and circumstances. Man is a victim of forces over
which he has no control.
Naturalistic texts often describe the futile attempts of human
beings to exercise free will in this universe that reveals free
will as an illusion.
Characteristics
Characters:
Often
ill-educated or lower-class
characters whose lives are
governed by the forces of
heredity, instinct and passion.
Setting:
Frequently an urban setting.
Surface detail was chosen to
present a gloomy and
depressing setting.
Techniques and plots:
Naturalistic novel offers "clinical,
panoramic, slice-of-life" drama
that is often a "chronicle of
despair".
 Themes
1. survival,
determinism,
violence, and taboo as
key themes.
2. The "brute” within
each individual,
comprised of strong
and often warring
emotions; and the fight
for survival in an
amoral, indifferent
universe.
Practitioners
 Theodore Dreiser
 Stephen Crane Maggie:
A Girl of the Street and
The Red Badge of
Courage
 Frank Norris McTeague
and The Octopus
 Upton Sinclair The
Jungle
 Jack London The Call of
the Wild and Martin
Eden
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3.
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Nature as an
indifferent force
acting on the lives
of human beings.
The forces of
heredity and
environment as
they affect--and
afflict--individual
lives.
An indifferent,
deterministic
universe.
Summary
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Naturalism is always objective.
It deals frankly with sex and all
man’s inner drives.
Its stark realism is often handled
in whatever language a sordid
situation demands.
Characters are usually persons
with strong animal drives and
weak minds.
Literary naturalism, in short,
offers a very pessimistic view of
life.
Theodore Dreiser
Study Questions
 1.
Try to interpret the historic background of
the naturalism.
 2. How do you understand the
characteristics of naturalism?
 3. can you name a few practitioners of
naturalism? Try to use one work of them to
illustrate the features of naturalism.
Reference
Spiller, Robert E. The Cycle of American Literature:
An Essay in Historical Criticism. New York:
Macmillan, 1955.
 Bartholow V. Crawford et al., American literature.
New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.. 1980.
 Dareel Abel, American literature. New York:
Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.,1963.
 George McMichael et al., ed. Anthology of
American Literature. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Co., Inc., 1980.
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Thank
You Very Much for
Attending This Lecture