Literature, throughout history, has brought people together by inciting human emotions and portraying ideas felt across cultures. In the latter half of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century, the predominant culture in Europe was that of industrialism and the explosion of human knowledge and development. The revolutionary scientific discoveries of prominent biologists such as Charles Darwin caused a rift in the culture of the time period, challenging people to look at life in a completely new way. Beginning in the 1870s, many European authors began to write stories based on the emerging idea that one’s life circumstances result from an uncontrollable genetic predisposition (Lehan 3). This movement came to be known as naturalism and spread to America by the turn of the century, influencing authors like Frank Norris, Theodore Dreiser, Upton Sinclair, John Steinbeck, and Émile Zola (Matterson). Literary naturalism, the movement that falls between realism and modernism in the evolution of literature, was a rather pessimistic literary movement which aimed to apply Darwinian principles to its characters and plot lines, study the human’s place in nature, and conclude that all fortune and misfortune in life is simply the result of heredity, instinct, and passion.
Naturalism, as a style of writing, came about in Europe in the late 1800s. It grew out of a movement in literature known as realism, in which authors attempted to write objectively, depicting the outside world as honestly and as truthfully as possible (Lehan 3). Realism dominated European literature from 1848 until 1871, when naturalism started to become more commonplace (Lehan 3). Naturalism did not differ much from realism except in that naturali...
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...nect us to that era. In a contemporary world filled with all sorts of new technology, it is easy to forget the past. Literature, however, serves to keep people in touch with history so that the immediate and lasting legacies of prominent people and their respective cultures may never be lost.
Bibliography
Bender, Bert. The Oxford Handbook of American Literary Naturalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.
Campbell, Donna M. Naturalism in American Literature. Department of English, Washington State University, 2013. Web.
Lehan, Richard. Realism and Naturalism. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2005. Print.
Matterson, Stephen. 1820s-1920s Naturalism. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2007. Web.
Pizer, Donald. The Theory and Practice of American Literary Naturalism. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1993. Print.
Literature throughout history has evolved due to events occurring during those times. It has changed in a deductive fashion going from creator to creation. In the early times Native Americans wrote myths of how the world had been created, next Puritans wrote of the drama in their communities and how they affected with each other, finally, transcendentalism focused on a singular person's ideas and point of view. It is important to be able to understand all levels of life from broad ideas to a singular person. Understanding not only how the world works but also how to get along with others and who you are as a person is crucial in this society. Literature from many time periods all attribute to these subjects. Literature
After World War I, American people and the authors among them were disillusioned by the effects that war had on their society. America required a literature that would expound what had happened and what was happening to their society. The realistic movement of the late 19th century saw authors accurately depict life and its problems. This realistic movement evolved because of many changes and transitions in American culture. In the late 1800's, the United States was experiencing swift growth and change because of a changing economy, society, and culture. The increase of immigrants into America was one of the reasons. Realists endeavored to give a comprehensive picture of modern life by presenting the entire picture. The true definition of literary realism as defined by Encyclopedia Britannica is an approach that attempts to describe life without idealization or romantic subjectivity. Although realism is not limited to any one-century or group of writers, it is most often associated with the literary movement in 19th-century France, specifically with the French novelists Flaubert and Balzac. George Eliot introduced realism into England, and William Dean Howells introduced it into the United States. Realism has been chiefly concerned with the commonplaces of everyday life among the middle and lower classes, where character is a product of social factors and environment is the integral element in the dramatic complications.
Although the eras of romanticism, realism, and reason differed in many ways, they each individually influenced change in the three main components of American literature; style, theme, and literary devices.
American psychologist and well renowned author Jerome Kagan states “Genes and family may determine the foundation of the house, but time and place determine its form.” The topic of nature vs. nurture is highly known to the English literature community and is classified as a major aspect of gothic works. In the novel Frankenstein the author Mary Shelley uses the monster’s constant rejection from society to demonstrate that an individual’s traits are affected more by their environment and their surroundings than by nature.
The main driving element in William Morris’s life has been the nature around him and the houses he lived in. The most prominent influence was the Kelmscott Manor. Therefore, I chose to go with Kelmscott Manor’s layout plan that exhibits the “inspirational garden “ that led to most of his design decisions, a map that depicts the pockets in the manor and how Morris was inspired by it. In addition to this, an original drawing of the Kelmscott Manor’s exterior that depicts how the manor amalgamated within the garden. To reinforce this, I picked a watercolor of the Kelmscott Manor and a photo that captivates the various perspectives of the garden in the manor. Moving on to his designs that interprets his love for nature I picked up the very first of his wallpaper design of the trellis that has a very naturalistic touch to it with the vines which seemed to be an extension of the “inspiration garden” on to the paper. Also chose one of the wallpapers he designed during the middle of his lifetime and one of his last designs as well. The underlying concept behind picking those was to outline the consistency in his design concept throughout his life. William Morris was a poet , whose poetry and compositions were also inspired by nature, and to depict his poetry in form of naturalism concept I picked a stance from one of his compositions that talks about forest, flora and fauna which directly ties to his underlying concept. Also the compositions he wrote always had engraved borders which was ...
Naturalism is about bringing humans into the “natural world”. We, as humans, are seen as aspects of nature collectively not separate like they once were. “Naturalism holds that everything we are and do is connected to the rest of the world and derived from conditions that precede us and surround us. Each of us is an unfolding natural process, and every aspect of that process is caused, and is a cause itself ” (“A Guide for Naturalism”). Humans are like “animals” they contain the same drives that animals have. They are just plain “natural”. Many authors express naturalism in their writings such as Kate Chopin. She expresses a naturalistic view on sexual drives which classify her as a naturalistic writer.
Naturalism is used to demonstrate that humans are insignificant in the cycle of nature. Steinbeck demonstrates naturalism through the structure and characterizations of his novella. Steinbeck’s novella comes full circle and ends like it begins in order to demonstrate that humans are insignificant to the cycle of nature. As a naturalist writer Steinbeck regards human behavior as controlled by instinct, emotion, or social and economic conditions. Also Steinbeck emphasizes naturalistic qualities in his characters in order to demonstrate naturalisms effect on people.
Originating in Europe in the late 18th century, the Romanticism Era characterized an interest in nature and emphasized the individuals emotion and imagination. The sudden change in attitudes formed an age of classicism and rebellion against established social rules and conventions. Praising imagination over reason, emotions over logic and intuition over science, this made way for a vast body of literature of great sensibility and passion. The variety of this impressive romanticism literature can be focused on by specific authors, works of literature, and how romanticism influenced their writing.
The connection between Romanticism and nature was said by Marjorie McAtee, to have strengthened with the idealism of folk cultures and customs. Many romantic artists, writers, and philosophers believed in the natural world as a source of strong emotions and philosophies. The artists and philosophers of the romantic period also accentuated the magnificence and loveliness of nature and the power of the natural world (McAtee, Marjorie, and W. Everett. WiseGeek. Conjecture, 03 Mar. 2014. Web. 05 Apr. 2014.) . Mary Shelly and many other writers like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge were romantic writers who were apprehensive toward nature, human feelings, compassion for mankind, and rebellious against society. Romanticism, which originated in the 18th century, is something that emphasized motivation as well as imagination (Adjective Clause). In Frankenstein, Shelley cautions that the initiation of science and natural rational searching is not only ineffectual, but unsafe. In endeavoring to discover the mysteries of life, Frankenstein assumes that he ...
Naturalism portrays humans' control over their actions and fate as limited and determined by the natural world, including their very humanity. The freedom described by Jean-Paul Sartre results in all individuals having the ability to make present choices independently. Despite the fatalism illustrated in naturalism, the characters in London's 'To Build a Fire' and Crane's 'The Open Boat' are ultimately responsible for their choices and consequences of their choices.
Life is a serious of events. Each person comes and goes from one activity to another, a run to the Starbucks on the corner for a morning brew or the boarding of the evening commute back home. In the genre of realism, these every-day monstrosities are explored. This concept, combined with the “scientific principles of objectivity and detachment” (Campbell), creates the style of naturalism in literature. Through his detailed usage of realism, the author Stephen Crane is often portrayed as one of the leading founders of naturalism in American literature. Having been raised in a religious family during the rise of Darwinist ideals, Crane uses the trends of the times and the world around him to create works that are celebrated by critics as some
In order to see how cultural and historical situations affect literature throughout history, it is important to get a brief history on each era discussed in this paper. The first era we will be reviewing will be writings from 1865-1914. The Civil War was just ending in 1865. America lost over a half of million Americans in the war. The nation was in a state of disorder and the south was devastated. Nevertheless, the country prospered. America became industrialized and saw innovations such as; the railroads, telegraph, telephone, and electricity. The population of the United States had also started to increase due to immigration.
Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our
Literature also gives us glimpses of much earlier ages. These glimpses take our imaginations back to the roots of our culture, in some instances. The study of Literature, through our history, enhances our understanding of our modern world.
After world war II the world got smaller, faster, fewer mysteries of science, geography and paradoxically less time to enjoy it. It was told that literature was better the period pre-war; however, the literature in old days was not in hand of lot of people as it is for these days. After all, every era has it own taste of literature.