Naturalism in Literature

Naturalism is an extreme version of realist fiction, emphasizing determinism. Unlike traditional narratives, naturalist fiction often has unhappy endings. Emerging in the 19th century, it incorporated scientific ideas and evolved from realism.

Literary critic Arthur Hobson Quinn states: "The basic effort of naturalism lay in the attempt to produce a scientifically accurate depiction of life, even at the cost of representing ugliness and discord." This aligns with Émile Zola’s view that an artist must bring scientific objectivity to their work. In naturalist fiction, characters’ behaviors are shaped by heredity and environment. Heredity refers to traits inherited from ancestors. Environment refers to the conditions in which a person is raised. Zola believed that an artist’s role is to expose how these forces control characters, who are merely victims of larger social structures.

Key Naturalist Writers

Émile Zola

Stephen Crane

Frank Norris

James Farrell

Core Ideas of Naturalism

Naturalism is a harsher form of realism.

Characters' actions are dictated by external conditions rather than personal responsibility.

Science and cause-effect relationships are central to naturalist fiction.

Naturalistic drama mirrors life with extreme fidelity.

Philosophical Basis of Naturalism

Naturalism presents a materialistic worldview, rejecting the existence of the soul. It treats humans like animals, guided purely by instincts. Since people are shaped by their genes, upbringing, and social class, their personalities result from these combined influences.

The tone is objective, similar to realism.

Natural laws and consistent principles govern everything.

Characters take precedence over the plot, as character development is the foundation of naturalist fiction.

Key Themes in Naturalism

The Call of the Wild, Jack London

This novel follows Buck, a domestic dog, who finds himself in a brutal struggle for survival. He adapts quickly because his ancestors were fighters, illustrating the concept of atavism—the reappearance of ancestral traits after generations.

This novel explores the struggle for life, heredity, and survival instincts, aligning with naturalism’s emphasis on scientific principles. Many naturalist stories place characters in different environments to observe their responses as part of a literary experiment.