美国文学 Naturalism.pptVIP

American Naturalism I. Naturalism II. Stephen Crane III. Frank Norris IV. Theodore Dreiser V. Other Authors of the Period I. Naturalism Background Definition Features Representative Writers General Comments Background (1) Social background: industrialism financial giants vs. proletariat; slums in great numbers; heavy freight rates of railroad Background (2) Ideological background: new philosophy Darwinian concepts: “the survival of the fittest”, “the human beast”; Herbert Spenser’s social Darwinism: man’s life is controlled by environment and heredity; Nietzsche’s idea: “God is dead” Background (3) Changing literary climate: young writers emerging; influence of French naturalism Definition Naturalism is a term created by Emile Zola, which attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings; 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; In America, naturalism appeared at the end of the 19th century. The most significant work is Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. “Put rather too simplistically, one rough distinction made by critics is that realism espousing a deterministic philosophy and focusing on the lower classes is considered naturalism.” (“Naturalism in American Literature”) Common Features Thematically, naturalistic writers: wrote detailed descriptions of the lives of the downtrodden and of the abnormal; had frank treatment of human passion and sexuality; were concerned about how men and women were overwhelmed by the forces of environment and by the forces of heredity Technically, naturalistic writers: made detailed documentation of life: nothing but the truth, more naked and wicked than realism; created gloomy and pessimistic atmosphere Representative Writers Stephen Crane Frank Norris Theodore Dreiser Edwin Arlington Robinson Jack London O’ Hen