Naturalism Definition

Naturalism was a branch off of Realism. The two are similar in that they depict events as true to life as possible and pay particular attention to the characters. Naturalism is more pessimistic than Realism, often focusing on themes such as survival of harsh conditions, the lower classes, and fate (Reuben). Well-known Naturalism authors include Frank Norris, Jack London, Stephen Crane, and Edith Glasgow (Campbell). Naturalism is similar to Realism in that it depicts events that could plausibly happen in real life. Granted, some of the events are a little far-fetched, but they could happen under the right circumstances. The obvious conclusion when it comes to Naturalism would be that it deals exclusively with the type of nature we find outside. While this could be true for some works of this literary period, it is not true for all of them. Nature does play a large role in works such as Jack London's Call of the Wild and Sea Wolf, but less of a role in other works by authors of the time. The type of nature that is the focus of Naturalism is human nature. Specifically the events that lead up to and cause the decisions we make in our lives. The American Dream is present in these works to varying degrees. Many Naturalism works feature poor people, immigrants, or poor immigrants. Obviously, these people would strive for the American Dream as a way to better their lives. In the case of the immigrants, they journeyed to America so that they could try for the American Dream in the first place. The Hero is typically one of the down-trodden members of society, ordinary in practically every way. Social Darwinism and fate are used as devices to control the characters in their endeavors (Campbell). The outlook on Society was rather bleak, which is understandable, considering the characters. Naturalism probably came about because of the rise of Industrialism. The cities were crowded with people that seemed to be at the mercy of Social Darwinism. Naturalism differs from Realism in the way that it looks at the psychological workings of these people, rather than just the characters themselves (Campbell).


Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 27 July 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm.

Rueben, Paul P. "PAL: AmericanNaturalism: A Brief Introduction." California State University Stanislaus | Home. 25 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap6/6intro.html.