西奥多德莱塞人生及作品.pptVIP

Naturalism Background Naturalism came from France that was popular in the late 19th century It has been generally defined in two words as pessimistic determinism 1. Charles Darwin Origin of Species The struggle for existence. survival of the fittest. and natural selection Man had evolved from lower forms of life. Human were special, not because God had created them in His image, as the Bible taught, but because they had successfully adapted to changing environmental conditions and had passed on their survival making characteristic genetically. Men were dominated by the irresistible forces of evolution. Men were conceived as more or less complex combination of inherited attributes and habits conditioned by social and economic forces, by heredity and environment Biological Darwinism had strong impact in the history of Western thought 2. Herbert Spenser developed social Darwinism 3. Emile zola Who held that the purpose of a novelist was to be a scientist, to place his characters in a situation and then to watch the influences of heredity and environment on them Human life was governed by the two crushing forces of heredity and environment. This idea was picked up by writers in different countries They held that realism was too genteel in tone to reveal the harsh reality. Then they ushered a literary movement called naturalism Major features of Naturalism 1. At the core of naturalism is determinism an individuals course in life is wholly determined by some combination of animal instinct, heredity, and environment Humans lack freedom of their own will. all of their actions are controlled determined Human beings are passive victims of natural forces and socia environment 2. The universe is cold, godless, indifferent and hostile to human desires. Life becomes a struggle for survival Two of the naturalists recurrent concerns are: social systems that destroy and dehumanize, and individual experience of loss and failure