The document discusses the literary movement of naturalism and its characteristics. It began in the late 19th century in America and was influenced by French author Emile Zola. Naturalist writings typically focused on the lives of lower-class characters struggling in poverty and conflicts between man and nature/society. Common themes included humanity's powerlessness against impersonal forces and the expansion of commerce overpowering individuals.
1. Characteristics Of Naturalism
America and its literature was once heavily influenced by the writings of romanticism. But during the time of wars, people in America "threw away
their roseâcolored glasses and saw the world for it was." And although this is how most realism writers ideas are portrayed, naturalism took it one step
further and correlated it to human behaviors and beliefs. Great authors were not only inspired by events around their time period but also by other
authors who had come before them and what they wrote about.
During the late nineteenth century, the literary movement naturalism, was introduced to American writers. The genesis of this movement was
conducted in countries from Western Europe but the french author, Emile Zola, set the movement into action. Zola's works and techniques strongly
suggested writers to look at the world a little more clearly and write about what it really was. This new idea was eventually spread to the Americas and
influenced more writers and more people to look at the world and their country as Zola intended. Although, the movement was first brought up in
France, it was very shortâlived but was given a longer life in America. In naturalist writings, a common focus is to express the life of lowerâclass
characters who live in poverty. An example from a naturalist author, was a book about a struggling family during theGreat Depression. Another
common characteristic of naturalism is to have the plots and conflicts of "'man against nature' or 'man against
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2. Essay on Naturalism and Realism
Beginning in the late 19th century, two separate movements spread across America know as realism and naturalism. While the two were very similar
in their beliefs and ideals there were still many apparent distinctions to differentiate the two. Realism and naturalism showed themselves in many
aspects of life, from art and sciences to new math techniques and even religion. However, above all else these movements may have been most evident
in the literature of this time. Reading through American literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it becomes perceptible which short stories
portray realism and which represent nationalism. Mark Twain's humorous tale, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country," clearly shows
Twain's...show more content...
As Bierce explains, "The man who was engaged in being hanged was apparently about thirtyâfive years of age. He was a civilian, if one might judge
from his habit, which was a planter." An attention to specific details is given especially in Part I when the setting is being described. Countless
adjectives are used, giving the reader the understanding of the scene so that they can feel as if they are sitting in and watching everything mentioned
take place. Again, diction is used although not in the same way as Twain had used it. Instead, a type of southern slang is used, denoting people from
the North as "Yanks" and to flax as "tow." Finally, the last part of this story is made up on the lead character's daydream which shows that Bierce was
focusing on the psychology of the character, another very realist thing to do in literature. Stephen Crane's ideas varied from those of Twain and Ambrose
as shown in his short story, "The Open Boat." In the story, the crewmates of a diminutive boat are caught in a storm. This is clearly more depressing
than the stories of the other two authors cited but it also sanctions nature to play a substantial role. In naturalism, nature often acts as a force that
humanity cannot control. The storm represents Crane's belief in
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3. Principle Of Naturalism
In terms of writing and dramatic style, naturalism is a heightened form of realism. Naturalistic dramas generally follow guidelines created by
Aristotle, the Greek philosopher. These rules are known as "the three unities": action, place and time. The general rule is that the events of the play
should take place in the same location over a single day. Naturalism was made popular by the French writer Đâ°mile Zola, and his principles were
modified by the French for the stage in the late nineteenthâcentury. Zola's rules, known as "the three principles of naturalism" formed the basis for the
naturalist movement in theatre. The first principle, faire vrai, was that the play had to be realistic and be as close a study of the human condition as
possible. The second principle, faire grand, was that the play had to be meaningful and each theme or event had to be of some significance. And lastly,
the third principle, faire simple, was that the play had to be simple and the writer should not to clutter the play with unnecessary subâplots or dialogue.
Naturalism spread through Europe in the twentiethâcentury until it reached the USSR. Stanislavski, a Russian theatre producer, thought that
melodrama was unrealistic and unbelievable. Therefore, he set up the Moscow Art Theatre, in which he created new rules for theatre which all of his
actors had to follow. In naturalistic acting, characters had to be realistic and believable, and the costumes needed to reflect the different character's
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4. Naturalism in Miss Julie Essay
Naturalism in Miss Julie
Writers involved in the naturalist movement believed that actors' lines should be spoken naturally, and that mechanical movements, vocal effects, and
irrational gestures should be banished. A return to reality was proposed, with the old theatrical attitudes replaced with effects produced solely by the
voice. There was a call to individualise characters, instead of generalising them, to produce characters whose minds and bodies would function as they
would in real life. Strindberg's 'Miss Julie' has been said to be an excellent example of this movement, as it involves stress on multiple motivation of
action; a departure from the stereotypical depictions of character; and random, illogical...show more content...
There is also the bluntly overt exchange of lines such as, 'Beast!' 'Menial! Lackey!' 'Menial's whore, lackey's harlot!' It has been proposed that this
retreat to the characteristics of old theatricality is perhaps only redeemed in the last minutes, when the stage action becomes solemnly symbolic. The
end of the relationship is represented by the decapitation of Julie's songbird; the sudden ring of the Count's bell introduces a character that has been
silent throughout, present only in spirit. Jean places a razor in Julie's hand, and she walks out to her death in silence, as if in a hypnotic trance. Her
death is not as melodramatic or theatrical as her previous behaviour, so this goes some way to compensate for earlier lapses.
Strindberg expressed an aversion to dividing his play into acts, as he believed that, "the declining capacity for illusion is possibly affected by intervals,
which give spectators the time to reflect and thereby withdraw from the suggestive influence of the author hypnotist." His theory centres on the
assumption that by eliminating intervals, which act as breaks from the action, continuity would improve, thereby increasing the intense nature of the
plays action and creating a claustrophobic environment. In order not to break the illusion, he also wanted to be rid of any musicians that the audience
could see, and would not
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5. Naturalism And Naturalism
Naturalism takes the basis of realism and expands those ideas in order to assert that the individual is always overcome by an impersonal, unperceiving
nature or by the singleâminded expansion of commerce. In Peace Like a River, the Land family does experience trial, and is even pushed from their
home, but this is not quite Naturalism. The places and people that they find themselves surrounded by are invested in the family's situation in one way
or another. There is no uncaring force that overwhelms the family, and though they do face tragedy, and Jeremiah does die, it is not in a naturalist
fashion. Every threat the family faces, from Israel Finch and Tommy Basca to Jape Waltzer, is hauntingly personal. The feeling of an intensely
personal threat is what drives Davy to fight back against Israel and Tommy, and what makes Jape such a horrifying villain, but this personal nature is
exactly the opposite of Naturalism. Naturalism in American literature is one individual against a faceless mass from which that single human cannot
hope to defend itself. The struggle is futile and the challenges that the individual faces are too powerful to be overcome. Naturalism is also a
repression of the individual autochthony found so prevalently in American literature, although in the cases where the development of commerce
overcomes the powerless human beings, Naturalism can serve as a reminder of the seemingly unstoppable forward momentum of American culture.
Regionalism in American Literature has developed as a check against this forward momentum of American culture towards homogeneity, as people
began to fear that the individual place would lose the cherished uniqueness that made that place feel like home (Regionalism and Local Color
Fiction). Local Colorists also attempted to preserve their treasured regions in prose and poetry. These authors, however, were forced into the category
of Local Color rather than Regionalism due to their being either women or of any ethnicity other than white. The landscape of the Midwest, especially
North Dakota, in Enger's novel lends a sense of desolation to the plotline and reflects the fear and concern of the Land family. While driving through
North Dakota in the Airstream, the family is
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6. Naturalism In London Essay
The next step up in London's stories would be naturalism. Both of London's stories revolve around the idea of naturalism. In "Love Of Life" the
man is left very unprepared and left as a victim to nature. He is left injured and is forced to try and survive. Due to the frozen weather the man is
forced to struggle for many days over hunger and once again that would be man's victimized by nature. He was forced to do things such as eating the
bad berries, digging for worm even though he knows there is none this far north , eating day old chicks and he also even tries to get a fish by bailing
all of the water out of the pool. In "To Build A Fire" The man is victim to the cold of his environment. He is forced to try and build a fire in the horrible
...show more content...
I believe there are two themes, determinism and nature's superiority over man. In both of the stories, both of the unnamed men struggle with the theme
of determinism. In both of the stories we can see that both men's outcomes are in fact determined by external factors being the weather. Everything that
happened to them is due to the weather and the environment around them. Leading into the other theme, nature's superiority over man, the men in both
stories are in frozen tundra of the Yukon, believing that they were in control and that nature does not have any control to alter their outcome. But in
both stories this is in fact incorrect. Both of the men become victims of nature, and are left for dead by nature. All together these themes are all
influenced by London's experiences and that these themes are things he's trying to portray to us through his writings.
Jack London's writing style is very much influenced by his experiences during the Klondike gold rush. Throughout his writing, we see the things
London struggled with, much like the men in his stories. His themes are influenced by what London experienced and what he was forced to learn
through those experiences. His vivid writing style, with the use of numbers, measurements, the counting of time, long descriptive sentences and his
concrete imagery help us really create the image of what London was forced to go through and what other men were forced to go through during this
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7. Essay about Naturalism in The House of Mirth
Naturalism in The House of Mirth
Challenging the strict deterministic confines of literary naturalism, which hold that "the human being is merely one phenomenon in a universe of
material phenomena" (Gerard 418), Edith Wharton creates in The House of Mirth a novel which irrefutably presents the human creature as being
subject to a naturalistic fate but which conveys a looming sense of hope that one may triumph over environment and circumstance if one possesses a
certain strength of will or a simple faith in human possibility.
Because of Wharton's slight deviation from naturalistic conventions, a literary debate exists among critics as to the validity of viewing The House of
Mirth as a novel which embodies...show more content...
Making this theme uniquely hers, however, is Wharton's creation of two characters who are "exceptions to the seemingly ubiquitous law of social
determinism" (Gerard 410). These characters, Nettie Struther and Lawrence Selden, one triumphing over her environment through sheer will, the other
transcending it through faith in human possibility, create a small tear in the formidable fabric of strict naturalism, thus engendering a hope for the
triumph of the human spirit.
Edith Wharton develops Lady Bart as a character who is a product of her environment, preyed upon by circumstance and fate. Lily's name, referring to
a highly ornamental flower, immediately creates the image of a delicate creature who is grown in the rich soils of society and who, if uprooted from
this societal soil, would wither and perish. Lily, as any living organism, is not simply a static figure in her environment. Instead, she is a true
naturalistic character, responsive and subject to the conditions of her surroundings. For example, when Lily and Selden meet at Bellomont, "Lily's
beauty expanded like a flower in sunlight" (108) and, "her face turned toward him with the soft motion of a flower" (109). Thus, although it can be
argued that Lily is not a naturalistic character because of Wharton's emphasis on
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8. Naturalisn In The Open Boat Essay example
In most traditional happy ending stories, there always appears to be evidence of supernaturalism. However, Stephen Crane leaves out all fairy tale
elements and mystical creatures in his "The Open Boat". Throughout the whole story, there are constant examples of the raw, realistic and indifferent
parts of life. In Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat" naturalism is apparent through the use of language, literary techniques, and thematic elements.
First of all, Crane's use of language played a large part in the naturalistic feel of the story. Crane makes sure to use specific phrases and words that
describe things exactly the way that they actually appear. He does not 'butter up' or 'candy coat' their descriptions in order to prevent the reader...show
more content...
It served as a reminder for the men on boardâ that their lives could be taken from them at any moment, and it was a mystery as to when they will die
or if they will stay alive. It was the idea that fate was chewing at them at the mercy of the giant powerful ocean. "When it occurs to a man that nature
does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the
temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples." Similarly to what Crane saidâ nature could care less if these men die, and
it will not change its course just to fulfill the wants of theses abandoned men. It stops for no one.
The dialogue played out by these men as also an important literary technique. They continue to banter back and forth, displaying hope and loss of
hope. There are plenty of examples throughout the story that show the men trying and trying again to regain this hope. They know in the back of their
minds that there is a slim chance that they will survive this situation. Crane uses this realistic dialogue to show these men's emotions, and decline of
confidence. Realistically, anyone who is caught in a situation like this tries to look for any of the positives because they are trying to maintain that
glimpse of hope. For example, the cook says "'There's a house of refuge
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9. Cosi Naturalism
STYLE
The style that was used in Cosi was naturalism. Naturalism was developed in the 19th â 20th century (Justin Cash.2006). It is a movement that
originated in European theatres. A Naturalistic role play is used within a theatrical performance to demonstrate how a character would react in a real
life situation. During the performance no photographs will be used to create an illusion, as it ruins the full effect of the reality.
Naturalistic theatre refers to an impression of a perfect illusion of reality through a range of theatrical technique. These techniques include detailed,
threeâdimensional settings ,everyday speech forms, a secular world view, an exclusive focus on subjects that are contemporary and indigenous, the
extension of the
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10. Naturalistic Ethic Essay
Naturalistic Ethic
Even though there are several schools of Naturalistic ethic, they all have one major quality in common â recognition of Nature as the main guiding
force of our lives. Naturalists try to understand Nature and how Nature and humanity are linked together. Adherents of Naturalism try to convince
people to shift their attitude toward the need to follow the laws of nature as a principle of moral conduct. There are three major schools of Naturalism.
The first school strives for "returning back to nature" in order to enjoy a simple life and find out the truth by communion with nature, which is
considered to be the teacher for all people. The second school recognizes that the Nature has inner soul. For example, stoics...show more content...
In order to measure the ethical rightness of someone's actions, we should consider that person's will (hence, the name of the theory â "intentionalism")
but not the consequences that follow from his or her actions. Furthermore, any person should be able to defend his or her action as moral if he or
she can affirm that all people at all times should perform the same action (in other words, an individual action is moral if it is moral as a universal
law). Kant calls this the categorical imperative. When a rule of conduct is universalized it becomes a moral law and it is everyone's duty to act
according to that law. Another important point Kant makes when he asserts that people should treat others as "mainly as ends rather than means"
which means that we cannot use other people as objects to reach our goals.
While the Naturalist position may indeed seem natural, I think it has significant drawbacks. One of my objections is that the Naturalist theory bases its
conclusions on laws of nature that we may not fully understand or scientific assumptions that, highly plausible as they may be, are not yet fully
scientifically proven. Thus, universal moral laws seem to follow from theories that may not yet have been proven to be universal laws of nature.
Kant's theory is not without serious flaws either. For instance, ignoring the consequences of one's actions may result in breaking one universal law as a
result of following another. In
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11. Naturalism Research Paper
According to (Naturalism.Org, 2017), the definition of naturalism in terms of art and literature is defined as a style and theory of a type of
representation based on the accurate depiction of detail. However, whereas, in a philosophical viewpoint, it is considered to be everything that arises
from natural properties and causes, as well as supernatural or spiritual explanations that are excluded or discounted. Furthermore in moral philosophy, it
is the theory that ethical statements can be derived from nonâ ethical ones. Lastly, it can simply be defined as another term for natural religion.
In terms of philosophy as stated before, naturalism can be the "idea or belief that only natural rather than supernatural or spiritual laws and forces
...show more content...
He suggests, in his evolutionary argument against naturalism, that the probability that evolution has produced humans with reliable true beliefs maybe
low or inscrutable, unless their evolution was guided, while According to David Kahan of the University of Glasgow, says that in order to understand
how beliefs are warranted, a justification must be found in the context of supernatural theism, as in Plantinga's epistemology.
In terms of philosophical naturalism, the belief is that there are not any supernatural entities. "No such person as God", but also no other supernatural
entities. It is my opinion that naturalism and contemporary evolutionary theories are different ideas, and despite the fact that the latter is normally
thought to be one of the main pillars supporting the group of the former as each progressed. I see no similar problems with the conjunction of theism
and the idea that human beings have evolved in the way contemporary evolutionary science suggests of a course of time. More particularly, I argued that
the conjunction of naturalism with the belief that we human beings have evolved in conformity with current evolutionary doctrine. Meaning god
caused evolution to take place. Personally I have a hard time agreeing with this idea (Naturalism Stanford Encyclopedia of
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