Naturalism In literature …extending the tradition of Realism…

Definition:  A movement that dissected human instincts and behavior and examined the social environment that “conditioned” people to turn out as they did.  Works that seek to replicate (copy) a “believable everyday reality.”  Naturalist writers believed that human behavior is determined by forces beyond the individual’s power, and especially by biology and the environment.

 Naturalists looked at human life as a grim and losing battle.

Components of Naturalist works  Characters in these stories often have only limited choices and motivations.  Humans are totally and completely subject to the natural laws of the universe.  Humans are like animals; we live by instinct and are unable to control our own destiny.  Writers sought to explain human behavior through scientific reasoning (Darwin).

Naturalist writers to know  Jack London: “To Build a Fire,” The Call of the Wild  Stephen Crane: The Red Badge of Courage  Guy de Maupaussant: “The Necklace”  Ambrose Bierce: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”  Charlotte Perkins Gilman “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Naturalism in Art VVVVisual artists who were associated with Naturalism chose themes from life, showing subjects unposed and not idealized. SSSSome artists chose to paint outdoors in order to have a more “realistic” experience, and used peasants and tradespeople as their subjects.

This style of art eventually became Impressionism, and from that era we get such great artists as:

Claude Monet

Pierre Auguste Renoir

Edouard Manet

So to Review…  Naturalism is: a more deliberate kind of realism in novels, stories and plays, usually involving the view of human beings as passive victims of natural forces and the social environment.