【精选】论嘉莉妹妹中的自然主义.doc

Naturalism of Dreiser in Sister Carrie Ⅰ. Introduction Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945)， an American author, outstanding representative of naturalism, whose novels depict real-life subjects in a harsh light. Many of his works referred to the description of naturalism and weakened his critical spirit. His first novel Sister Carrie published in 1990 revealed the financial disparity and the moral decline of American society and thus regarded as forbidden book. But now the book becomes one of the best-sellers of American literature because of the naturalistic features in it. Then Dreiser is regarded as a pioneer of American naturalism and as a naturalist Dreiser expresses the characteristics of naturalism in most of his works. The themes of Darwinism and Determinism are the common features of Dreiser’s story which also characterize Sister Carrie. Dreiser chose to reflect life truthful in his works when other novels deal only with the beautiful aspects of life,. It is not an exaggeration to say that Dreisers Sister Carrie clears the way for the development of American fiction. From follow analysis of three aspects and conclusion, we can find out the naturalism of Dreiser in Sister Carrie Ⅱ. The historical and cultural background for Sister Carrie Theodore Dreisers Sister Carrie reflects the profound transformations in American life in the late nineteenth century. A. Darwinism and Determinism In 1859, Darwin’s The Origin of Specie appeared. It soon changed man’s recognition. Before Darwin, human was separated from the animals because of its moral. However, at this time evolutionist considered human as a part of natural things and a member of the animal kingdom. American naturalists accepted “bestiality” and “ human beast” as an explanation of desire. They attempted to achieve extreme objectivity and frankness presenting characters of low social and economic classes who are determined by their environment and heredity. They dismissed the validity of comf