Naturalism

American Naturalism is a movement that began in the late nineteenth century and continued on through the early twentieth century. This movement was head by authors such as Jack London, Frank Norris, Stephan Crane, and Theodore Dreiser. "In contrast to realism, which attempted to capture ordinary American life as it unfolded in cities and rural areas in the middle and late 19th century, naturalism employed harsher outdoor settings and placed characters in trying situations where they often confronted natural forces" (Werlock). So rationalism and realism are in a sense one in the same thing. Some differences would be in an outdoor setting, an author can choose what happens and what is in the novel. In realism, an author has just a city to work with. Naturalist characters were often faced with physical challenges and they would be more determined than the characters of realism and get themselves out of the situation. Naturalism is a genre which drew attention to forces of fate, determination, and environments that will shape an individual. Naturalism was a genre that also questioned moral and situational certainties. "The central concerns of naturalism are the forces that shape and move humanity and our inability to control them" (Werlock).

Naturalism has no real hero. The subject of naturalist stories are the ones who make it through the physical challenges of the harsher outdoor settings and natural forces. The one who comes out from these stories would be considered the hero. "....a central tenet of naturalism: Humanity.... is subject to the same natural laws as all animals. As such, humans are subject to the same limitations, and it is a painful realization that humankind holds no special place in the universe. As humans are governed by the same laws as all of nature, literary naturalism suggests that those who attempt to question, combat, or suppress nature will find only failure" (Werlock). The people who are the focus of naturalist stories come to this realization. They are the ones who question the wilderness and the things around them. They set themselves us for failure.




Werlock, Abby H. P. "naturalism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Jan 27, 2011.