美国文学-American-Naturalism

AmericanNaturalism美国自然主义文学NaturalismthelawofjungleBriefSummary:•Naturalismisaliterarymovementthatseekstoreplicateabelievableeverydayreality,asopposedtosuchmovementsasromanticismorSurrealism,inwhichsubjectsmayreceivehighlysymbolic,idealisticorevensupernaturaltreatment.BriefSummary:•Naturalismisagrowthofrealism,aprominentliterarymovementinMid-19th-CenturyFranceandelsewhere.Unlikerealism,however,naturalismisgenerallyaphilosophicalposition(?),asopposedtoaliterarytechnique.philosophicalposition•Fornaturalisticwriters,sincehumanbeingsare,inEmileZola’sphrase,“humanbeasts”,characterscanbestudiedthroughtheirrelationshipstotheirsurroundings.•Philosophicalframework:•pessimisticmaterialisticdeterminism悲观的唯物主义决定论•自然主义（LeNaturalisme）是文学艺术创作中的一种倾向。作为创作方法，自然主义一方面排斥浪漫主义的想象、夸张、抒情等主观因素，另一方面轻视现实主义对现实生活的典型概括，而追求绝对的客观性，崇尚单纯地描摹自然，着重对现实生活的表面现象作记录式的写照，并企图以自然规律特别是生物学规律解释人和人类社会。I.AmericanNaturalism1.Thehistoricalandsocialbackground2.Theintellectualbackground3.Philosophicalelementsofliterarynaturalism4.Featuresofnaturalistfictions5.Objectives1.HistoricalandSocialBackground•AftertheAmericanCivilWar(1861-1865)•WWI•IndustrialRevolution•“ThisisaGodlessworldinwhichmanisthrownuponhimselftokeepaliveasbesthecanagainsttheoverwhelmingoddsofthecold,indifferentenvironment.”--TheodoreDreiserMan’splaceintheuniverse•Amansaidtotheuniverse:•“Sir,Iexist!”•“However,”repliedtheuniverse.•“Thefacthasnotcreatedinmeasenseofobligation.”--StephenCrane《人与天》一个人对着天说：“老兄，我存在！”“不过”，天应答说，“这一事实并没使我生出义务之感。”Livinginacold,indifferentandGodlessworld,manisaninsignificanthumanbeingtobattleagainsta“tremendous”environment.2.TheintellectualbackgroundCharlesDarwin(1809-1882)—anEnglishnaturalist•TheOriginofSpecies(1859)CharlesDarwin---“thefittest,thesurvival”•—thetheoryofevolution•—NaturalSelection•Thesurvivalorextinctionofeachorganismisdeterminedbythatorganism’sabilitytoadapttoitsenvironment.HerbertSpencer(1820-1903)斯宾塞—SocialDarvinism：theincoporationofDarvinismintosociology---Manismerelyananimaldrivenbygreedandlustinastruggleforexistence,inwhichonly“thefittest”,themostruthlesssurvive.---Lifebecameastruggleforsurvival.HerbertSpencer(1820-1903)斯宾塞•—“thesurvivalofthefittest”物竞天择、适者生存•Humansarehighlyevolvedanimalsandrespondtoenvironmentalforceslikeanyotheranimal.Theaimissurvival.HerbertSpencer(1820-1903)斯宾塞Influence:----ItproducedanattitudeofgloomanddespairwhichcharacterizeSocialDarvinismdeterminism(Thechiefimpetusfornaturalism)EmileZola(1840-1902)左拉Theterm“naturalism”wascreatedbytheFrenchnovelistEmileZola(1840-1902)左拉•Controlledbyheredityandenvironment,manwastheproductofhistemperamentinasocialcontext.•左右人类命运的两个因素：遗传与环境•遗传--生物决定论•环境--悲观论•EmileZola’stheory:•Thepurposeofanovelistwastobeascientist,toplacehischaractersinasituationandthentowatchtheinfluencesofheredityandenvironmentdestroythem,or,iftheyweregoodenough,towatchthemovercometheforceofheredityandenvironment.•左拉还进一步把人同其他生物等同起来,宣称人是“空气和土壤的产物,象植物一样”，从而把生物学的决定论加于人类。•自然主义者在人身上只看到感觉和本能。他们既然认为是生物学规律决定人的心理、性格、情欲和行为，便在作品中着重探索人物生理上的奥秘，阐明它对人物的影响。左拉指出，自然主义作家“继续进行着生理学家和医生的业务”。ThomasHardy(1840-1928)–TessofD’Urbervilles(1891)3.Philosophicalelementsofliterarynaturalism•Theaimofhuman(humananimal)issurvival.•Theexistenceofahumanpersonislimitedbyhisorherheredityandenvironmentandthesocioeconomicforcesheorshehastowrestlewith.Onlythefittestsurvivesinthelifestruggle.4.Featuresofnaturalistfictions•Thecharacters:oftenthelowestinthesocialstratumthoserenderedhelplessbyuncontrollableforces•Themood:invariablydarkandpessimistic•Ethicalproblem:•ViolenceandSexareexplicit.5.Objectives:•Theyofferedvividpicturesofthelivesofthedown-troddenandtheabnormal.•Theyexhibitedfranktreatmentofhumanpassionandsexuality;•Theyportrayedmenandwomenoverwhelmedbytheblindforcesofnature.Themes:•1.survival,determinism,violence,&taboo;•2.the“brutewithin”eachindividual,composedofstrongandoftenwarringemotions:lust,greed,orthedesirefordominanceorpleasure……•3.Natureasanindifferentforceactingonthelivesofhumanbeings.•4.Theforcesofheredityandenvironmentastheyaffectindividuallives.Natureneverdidbetraytheheartthatlovedher.--WilliamWordsworthRomanticismShedidnotseemcrueltohimthen,norbeneficent,nortreacherous,norwise.Butshewasindifferent,flatlyindifferent.--StephenCraneNaturalismDifferencesfromRealism•1)Methodofdescription:thetruthfulnessofdetailsandextremity.(camera)2)Theobjectofdescription:lowerclasseswhoarethetypicaltargetofdeterminism;•3)Thepurposeoflife:existence.Dominationbybasicdesiresoflife,eg.terror,starvationandsextualdemands.Asaresult,theauthortakesanamoralattitudetowardhumanlife,neithercondemnationnorpraise;•4)Language:filthylanguagetorepresentthefilthyandunsmilingworld.5)Theoutlookoflife:deterministicphilosophyandpessimisticoutlookoflife.II.RepresentativeAmericannaturalistwriters1.StephenCrane(1871-1900)2.FrankNorris(1870-1902)3.JackLondon(1876-1916)4.TheodoreDreiser(1871-1945)