On Hardy’s Naturalism in The Return of the Native

1、On Hardys Naturalism in The Return of the NativeA thesisSubmitted to the School of Foreign Languages Shenyang Normal University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of ArtsByUnder the supervision of ProfessorMarch 2012Abstract The Return of the Native is one of Thoma

2、s Hardy's famous novels. Some of Hardy's major's novels reveal the relationship between nature and character. Nature, the sustainer of all lives, has never been absent in English literary works, but in works of different historical periods or of different writers, the role of Nature vari

3、es. In Romantic poems, Nature is the source of the poets ideas and feelings; in English traditional novels, Nature mainly acts as background; in modernist literature, Nature is often connected with human instinct. However, in the major fiction by Thomas Hardy, Nature plays a dominant role: Nature fo

4、reshadows the tragic ending of the story, and it is the agent of the development of the plot and even the real character of some novels.This paper elaborates Naturalism in Hardy's major novels and puts special emphasis on the landscape in The Return of the Native, demonstrating the work as a nov

5、el of Nature. Then, the paper goes further to probe Hardys view of Nature. In this way the paper aims at looking at Hardys fiction from a new perspective of Nature and gaining better understanding of Hardys status in English literary history.Key words: Naturalism, The Return of the Native, character

6、摘 要 还乡是哈代的一部著名小说，在这些小说里，哈代揭示了人与自然的关系。大自然为万物生长提供养分，而且我们可以发现大自然的身影在英国文学作品里比比皆是。在不同的历史时期或不同作家的作品里，自然扮演的角色各不相同。在浪漫主义的诗歌中，自然是诗人思想和感情的源泉。对于传统英国小说而言，自然通常作为故事的背景而存在，在现实主义文学中，自然又常常与人类的本能联系起来。托马斯·哈代生活在英国传统文学向现代主义文学转型的时期。在他的主要作品中，自然的地位举足轻重。它常常预示着故事的悲剧性结局，它影响着小说情节的发展，甚至成为某些作品真正的主角。本文讨论了哈代主要小说中的自然主义，并重点研究了小

7、说还乡中的自然描写。在此基础上，本文进一步阐明了哈代的自然观。本文旨在从描写自然的艺术和自然观的新角度来探讨哈代的小说，以便更好都得理解哈代在英国文学史上的地位。 关键词： 自然主义；还乡；人物iii Contents Abstract in English.iiAbstract in Chinese.iiiI.INTRODUCTION.31.A brief introduction of Thomas Hardy and his work.3B.A brief introduction of The Return of the Native.51. Importance of Study o

8、n Hardys work The Return of the Native.52.Significances to study naturalism in The Return of the Native and its contribution to the discipline.6II. LITERATURE REVIEW 文献综述.8A.Research status on Hardys work and naturalism8B.The naturalism in The Return of the Native.101.The ideas of American naturalis

9、m.102. Its relation with tragedy in The Return of the Native.11III. METHODOLOGY.14A.Research procedures and Data collection.14B.Research Methods and Data analysis.17IV Conclusion.19Works Cited.22I.INTRODUCTION Over a century, study on English writer Thomas Hardy and his works has never stopped, and

10、there are an immense number of books about Hardy himself, his ideas, and his literary works. However, with the passage of time, the focus of the study changes. In recent years, the study on Hardys novels in the world and in China has taken on a new look. Some researchers pay their attention to the t

11、ragic effect of Hardys Wessex novels, some analyze the psychological predicament of the characters and indicate the modernism of Hardys works, and some others put emphasis on Nature in his novels. Chinese professor Nie Zhenzhao explains Hardy's novel writing through Darwinism in one of his recen

12、tly published articles. However, there seems to be no article on systematic research in Hardy's treatment of Nature in his novels or in Hardys view on Nature and its relation to Darwinism. In the history of English literature, great importance has always been attached to Nature both as a means o

13、f artistic expression and as theme. If the study of Nature in English literary works is done with the combination of some scientific and philosophic ideas like Darwinism, there will be new understanding of the literary works. Hardy and his works are appropriate for this study. So, the author of this

14、 paper tries to do some research in this area through the study of Hardy and his novels.1.A brief introduction of Thomas Hardy and his work Thomas hardy was a famous critical realistic writer in England. He was one of the representatives of the English critical realism novelist, he was also a poet.

15、He is famous for novels of character and environment. His birthplace was in a country which named Egdon in the westland; this natural environment formed the main environment in the hardy writes. His father was a stonecutter, but like music, his parents paid more attention on Hardys education. In his

16、 childhood，he received the education for theology, but when he grew up, he turned to learn the literary. After Hardy left school he became a architects apprentice in 1856. And then he went to London to become a post of the building draftsman in 1862. He also took courses in London University. His li

17、terature career began with poetry, but due to not have the good fortune to publish it he changed the matter for novel creation. His firs novel was published in 1871, the celebrated work was his fourth novel Far From the Madding Crowd(1874),from then on, he dropped construct industry and devoted to t

18、he novel creation. Hardy wrote nearly 20 long novels his life, the most famous novels are The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1891), Jude the Obscure (1896). His works reflected the changed of social economy, political, moral and tradition when the hypocritical bourgeois

19、ie invaded the countries in England. As a transitional writer, Hardy was both influenced by both the past and the modern, as a result he is known as intellectually advanced and emotional traditional writer. In his novels on the one hand he showed an apparent nostalgic feeling in his description of t

20、he simple and beautiful though primitive rural life, which was gradually declining and disappearing as England marched into an industrial country. He was deeply influenced by Influenced by Darwins The Origin of Species and Spencers The First Principle, he accepted the idea of survival the fittest an

21、d believed that mans fate is pre-determinedly tragic, driven by a combined force of “nature” both inside and outside. The natural environment is shown as some mysterious supernatural force, which is very powerful.B.A brief introduction of The Return of the Native1. Importance of Study on Hardys work

22、 The Return of the NativeThe story of The Return of the Native is a tragic story, beginning with a vivid description of the gloomy and mysterious setting, Egdon Heath. Then Hardy present us with a picture of the tough struggle between humans race and nature, a conflict between men and their fate, th

23、rough the clash between Clym Yeobright and Eustacia Vye, who are two major typical victims of this tragic novel. Their opposing souls decide the whole progression of their tragic life and the tragic story.As we know, Hardy's famous works,such as The return of the Native, Tess of the D'Urberv

24、illes, etc.They focus on the conflict between Nature and the social environment. In The Return of the Native, nature plays an important role. Many scholars put emphasize on Naturalism in Hardy's novels. They analyze works from different perspective.Therefore, The Return of the Native is very wor

25、thy of studying.It can help us to have a better understanding of Naturalism.2.Significances to study naturalism in The Return of the Native and its contribution to the discipline Naturalistic thinking has a long history, but it has been especially prominent in recent decades, and its influence is fe

26、lt all across philosophy. This article will look at why and in what ways it is prominent and will describe some of the most influential versions of naturalism.Therefore, a perspective can be concluded: the naturalism influenced Thomas Hardy's work heavily. Check out the literary experience of Th

27、omas Hardy, the author was famous for "Wessex"novels, and combined the nature with the plot. The Plot of the novel is in some way in accordance with Nature. The Proceeding of Nature is controlled by the natural law，yet it is prone some accidental change. Therefore，behind Nature there seems

28、 to be logical force and a passionate force. The same is with the plot of the novel. Both human passion and logic play their parts in the development of the plot. Eustacias keen love for an imagined lover (then she only heard of Clym) drives her to risk playing the mummery ;Thomasin, out of conventi

29、on, is still willing to marry Wildeve in spite of the first unrealized marriage. Passion and logic more often than not work together. Diiggory Venn succeeds in intruding into the whole story by using tactics，but he does this out of his whole-hearted，deep and persistent love for Thomasin. Mrs Yeobrig

30、ht succeeds in arousing Wildeves jealousy by implying Thomasins another suitor，but what makes Wildeve finally man Thomasin is his revenge on Eustacia. Plot is Parallel to Nature in that both are driven by Passionate and logical forces.The rustics on Egdon Heath are narrow and rigid and refuse to cha

31、nge. Therefore, there exists a gap between Egdon Heath and the outside world .There is also a gap between Clym and the rustics, because Clym has been influenced by some new ideas after years of city life at paris. so, though Clym cherishes an inbom and deep love for the land of Egdon Heath and plans

32、 to carry out the reunion with the rustics upon his return. “let alone civilize them .Moreover, Clym is too idealistic and fails to see these two kinds of gaps, and therefore fails to return . Clyms return is a failure because in an evolutionary order it is not Possible to choose to return to an ear

33、lier state.In a word，the landscape of Egdon is not just a stage for the tragic story But also an agent in the operation of plot. The Plot develops in the way that Nature proceeds，on the whole driven by logic forces and human Passion but Sometimes exposed to accidental changes and even some mysteriou

34、s power. Hardys status as a distinctly regional writer is probably the most apparent in The Return of the Native. Egdon Heath is based on Black Heath, which bordered Hardys childhood home in Higher Bockhampton, Dorset. In no other novel is Hardy's Wessex mythology more pronounced. Egdon Heath is

35、 truly a microcosm for a Pre-Industrial Englandits inhabitants are socially conservative laborers who are attached to the natural landscape in an almost mystical fashion. The communitys livelihood is completely dependent on the landscape itself; they are bound to the capricious Egdon Heath in an ete

36、rnal struggle for survival.II. LITERATURE REVIEW 文献综述A.Research status on Hardys work and naturalism Hardy criticizes certain social constraints that hindered the lives of those living in the 19th century. Considered a Victorian Realist writer, Hardy examines the social constraints that are part of

37、the Victorian status , suggesting these rules hinder the lives of all involved and ultimately lead to unhappiness. The term Naturalism describes a type of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings. Unlike realism, which focuses

38、 on literary technique, naturalism implies a philosophical position: for naturalistic writers, since human beings are, in Emile Zola's phrase, "human beasts," characters can be studied through their relationships to their surroundings. Zola's 1880 description of this method in Le r

39、oman experimental (The Experimental Novel,1880) follows Claude Bernard's medical model and the historian Hippolyte Taine's observation that "virtue and vice are products like vitriol and sugar"-that is, that human beings as "products" should be studied impartially, withou

40、t moralizing about their natures. Other influences on American naturalists include Herbert Spencer and Joseph LeConte.Through this objective study of human beings, naturalistic writers believed that the laws behind the forces that govern human lives might be studied and understood. Naturalistic writ

41、ers thus used a version of the scientific method to write their novels; they studied human beings governed by their instincts and passions as well as the ways in which the characters' lives were governed by forces of heredity and environment. Although they used the techniques of accumulating det

42、ail pioneered by the realists, the naturalists thus had a specific object in mind when they chose the segment of reality that they wished to convey. The tension involves the theme of the naturalistic novel. The naturalist often describes his characters as though they are conditioned and controlled b

43、y environment, heredity, instinct, or chance. But he also suggests a compensating humanistic value in his characters or their fates which affirms the significance of the individual and of his life. The tension here is that between the naturalist's desire to represent in fiction the new, discomfi

44、ting truths which he has found in the ideas and life of his late nineteenth-century world, and also his desire to find some meaning in experience which reasserts the validity of the human enterprise. The themes of it ,first is Walcutt identifies survival, determinism, violence, and taboo as key them

45、es. Second is the "brute within" each individual, composed of strong and often warring emotions: passions, such as lust, greed, or the desire for dominance or pleasure; and the fight for survival in an amoral, indifferent universe. The conflict in naturalistic novels is often "man aga

46、inst nature" or "man against himself" as characters struggle to retain a "veneer of civilization" despite external pressures that threaten to release the "brute within. "Third is Nature as an indifferent force acting on the lives of human beings. The romantic visio

47、n of Wordsworth-that "nature never did betray the heart that loved her"-here becomes Stephen Crane's view in "The Open Boat": "This tower was a giant, standing with its back to the plight of the ants. It represented in a degree, to the correspondent, the serenity of natu

48、re amid the struggles of the individual-nature in the wind, and nature in the vision of men. She did not seem cruel to him then, nor beneficent, nor treacherous, nor wise. But she was indifferent, flatly indifferent. "Forth is The forces of heredity and environment as they affect-and afflict-in

49、dividual lives. Fifth is an indifferent, deterministic universe. Naturalistic texts often describe the futile attempts of human beings to exercise free will, often ironically presented, in this universe that reveals free will as an illusion.B.The naturalism in The Return of the Native 1.The ideas of

50、 American naturalism American naturalism was a new and harsher realism, and like realism, it had come from Europe. Naturalism was an outgrowth of Realism that responded to theories in science, psychology, human behaviour and social thought current in the late nineteenth century. In the last decade o

51、f the nineteenth century, with the development of industry and modem science, intelligent minds began to see that man was no longer a free ethical being in a cold, indifferent and essentially Godless universe. In this chance world he was both helpless and hopeless. European writers like Emile Zola h

52、ad already developed this acute social consciousness. They saw man's life as governed by the two forces of heredity and environment, forces absolutely beyond man's control. American naturalism had been shaped by the war, by the social upheavals that undermined the comforting faith of an earl

53、ier age, and by the disturbing teachings of Darwinism. America's literary naturalists dismissed the validity of comforting moral truths. They attempts to achieve extreme objectivity and frankness, presenting characters of low social and economic classes who were determined by their environment a

54、nd heredity. In presenting the extremes of life, the naturalists sometimes displayed an affinity to the sensationalism of early romanticism, but unlike their romantic predecessors, the naturalists emphasized that the world was amoral, that men and women had no free will, that lives were controlled b

55、y heredity and environment, that the destiny of humanity was misery in life and oblivion in death. The pessimistic and deterministic ideas of naturalism pervaded the works of such American writers as Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Jack London and Theodore Dreiser. Although naturalist literature descri

56、bed the world with sometimes brutal realism, it sometimes also aimed at bettering the world through social reform. This combination of grim reality and desire for improvement is typical of America as it moved into the twentieth century.2. Its relation with tragedy in The Return of the Native As one

57、of the master pieces of Tomas Hardy, The Return of the Native is a story of extremes, of all-consuming passions and fierce ambitions, played out in the vast and overwhelming setting of Egdon Heath. It is a tragedy of ordinary lives: a family quarrel, romantic entanglements and the desire to escape a

58、re the elements which are brought together with a life-shattering intensity. Here, all life is a struggle for existence and the working of an apparently malign fate drives the story with a tragic inevitability. A foreboding atmosphere dominates most of the novel, and superstition and pagan rites contribute to the sense of the powerful forces which seem hostile to humanity, yet in control o