The document discusses the key aspects of naturalism in literature. It describes how naturalist authors aim to objectively represent reality and details of life without preconceived ideas about form or content. However, naturalist works also suggest a humanistic value in characters or their fates that affirms the significance of individuals and their lives. This creates a tension between representing new scientific truths about determinism and finding meaning in human experience. The document also mentions how Charles Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection was accepted by the 1870s and influenced naturalist authors to emphasize what should and should not be believed about human nature and rights.