american naturalism 美国文学课件.ppt

* American Naturalism ☆ a literary movement taking place from 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character. ☆ seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as against Romanticism ☆ the outgrowth of Realism Realism: to describe subjects as they really are Naturalism: to determine scientifically the underlying forces (e.g. the environment or heredity) influencing the actions of its subjects; to deal with uncouth or sordid subject matter; to expose the dark harshness of life 1. General Review: a. definition Naturalism is a more deliberate kind of realism in novels, stories, and plays, usually involving a view of human beings as passive victims of natural forces and social environment. b. features: ① determinism°: ☆ the philosophical view that every event, including human cognition, behavior, decision, and action, is causally determined by the environment. It is, in essence, the view that ones life is predetermined before one is even born. ☆ Consequently, pessimism is a significant mark for works of naturalism. Human efforts are futile to change. ☆ a strong sense that nature is indifferent to man’s struggles ② idiosyncratic ways of expression ☆ the author’s detachment from the story. An objective tone. Nameless characters. ☆ a surprising twist at the end of the story° 2. American Naturalism: ① backgrounds: a. further industrialization ☆ the appearance of an industrial proletariat and slums ☆ the westward expansion of industry, farming going to bankrupt b. philosophical bases ☆ Origin of Species (1859). Darwinism indicates that the origin of species is derived by descent, with variation from parent forms through the