Naturalism

Naturalism is often categorized as the same thing as Realism. While they are similar, they are also different in a number of ways (Campbell). They both came about around the same time, and they both involved science (Campbell). Naturalism, however, involved a lot more science than Realism ever did. Naturalism was all about science, and how it affected man. Naturalism involved the lower middle class and the lower class, and the novels were often about struggles within man (Campbell). Naturalists portrayed free will and choice as a complete illusion, so the struggles that were so often seen made a much bigger impact when coupled with the futility of trying to change things (Campbell). Naturalism involved more basic things, and the basic wants of man. Often the works were concentrated on survival and being determined to have things the way that the main character wanted (Campbell). Naturalists portrayed man in urban environments, and often discussed many things such as sex and violent crimes (Campbell). They discussed such passionate or violent things because they thought man struggled the most with keeping that part of himself hidden in a society that would completely disapprove (Campbell). Often the theme involved despair, as man finally realizes that his attempts at individuality actually do nothing for him, and everything that he has tried and will ever try will completely let him down (Campbell). The authors thought that by making man just another object to be studied, they would be able to figure out the unwritten rules that govern the world and mankind (Campbell). They thought that by showing the beast that man could be, they would figure out what must happen in every situation. They assumed that every man would react the same way, and did not take into account how different people can be in the reactions and in their decision making. They did not think about the fact that we are all different, and not just another animal species to study. While Naturalists may seem a little twisted, they still wrote some intriguing works that are still relevant today.

Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. 27 July 2010. Web. 24 Jan 2011.