Literary Naturalism in American Fiction (1895-1915)
American Literary Naturalism, a movement in fiction from 1895 to 1915, embraced a scientific approach, focusing on detached observation of human lives. Influenced by Darwin and Spencer, it emphasized pessimistic materialistic determinism, with heredity and environment shaping characters. Works featured ordinary characters in harsh settings with plots of decline. Notable authors include Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Jack London, and Theodore Dreiser.
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American Literary Naturalism 1895-1915
Promoted a scientific approach to the writing of fiction. Promoted detached observation of the lives of human beings What was it? Informed by the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer. French naturalism: Emile Zola, The Experimental Novel.
Pessimistic materialistic determinism (George Becker) Heredity and environment as controlling forces of human beings. Human beings as animals human beasts an idea often reinforced by animal imagery. Free will seen as an illusion. Determinism a primary theme. Defining Features
Characters: often ordinary or lower-class characters governed by unchecked appetites and passions. veneer of civilization gives way under pressure and reveals the brute within Settings: urban jungle or wild nature; poverty or harsh environments. Characteristics Plots: plot of decline or stasis; sometimes violent confrontations, disfigurement, or death Narrative techniques: detached observer, ironic perspective
Frank Norris Stephen Crane Jack London Theodore Dreiser Classic Naturalism Practitioners John Steinbeck (The Grapes of Wrath) John Dos Passos (U.S.A.) James T. Farrell (Studs Lonigan) 20th-century Naturalism
Stephen Crane (1871-1900) Maggie, a Girl of the Streets (1893) The Red Badge of Courage (1895) The Black Riders and Other Lines (1895) The Open Boat (1897) War is Kind (1899)
Frank Norris (1870-1902) McTeague (1899) The Octopus (1901) The Pit (1902) A Deal in Wheat
Jack London (1876-1916) The Call of the Wild (1903) The Sea-Wolf (1904) To Build a Fire Martin Eden (1913) The Valley of the Moon (1913)
Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) Sister Carrie (1900) Jennie Gerhardt (1911) An American Tragedy (1925)
Questions What do those four authors have in common? Were there other authors writing naturalism?
Other Naturalist Writers Rebecca Harding Davis Edith Wharton Paul Laurence Dunbar Ellen Glasgow Mary Wilkins Freeman
https://www.youtube.co m/watch?v=M0CwuVOfr nc Don Draper (Mad Men)
