Naturalism-自然主义解读

Naturalism:1.itappliestheprinciplesofscientificdeterminismtofiction2.itviewshumanbeingsasanimalsinthenaturalworldrespondingtoenvironmentalforcesandinternalstressesanddrives,overnoneofwhichtheyhavecontrolandnoneofwhichtheyfullyunderstand3.humanbeingsarecontrolledbylawsofheredityandenvironment4.theuniverseiscold,godless,indifferentandhostiletohumanbeingsAccordingtoliteraryterms,naturalismisamoredeliberatekindofrealisminnovels,stories,andplays,usuallyinvolvingaviewofhumanbeingsaspassivevictimsofnatural

forcesandsocial

environment.Asaliterarymovement,itcanbetrackedbacktoitsbackgroundofDarwin.CharlesDarwin(1809-1882)Englishnaturalistandauthor.OriginofSpecies(1859)exertedastrongimpactinthehistoryofWesternthought.Theoriginofspeciesisderivedbydescent,withvariationfromparentformsthroughthenaturalselectionofthosebestadaptedtosurviveinthestruggleforexistence.Hedevelopedsomeideasthatthestruggleforexistence,survivalofthefittestandnatureselection,whichareusedtotalkaboutbiologicalorganism.HerbertSpencer(1820-1903)graftedDarwin’sbiologicaltheoryontoasocialmodelanddevelopedthetheoryofsocialDarwinism—theweakandstupidwouldfallvictiminthenaturalcourseofeventstoeconomicforces.Hisideaswerethenappliedtosociety.Peoplebegantobelieveandwritethatsocietiesgrewanddevelopedinthesamewayastheanimalandspecieshaddeveloped.Thereisalwaysastrugglewithsocietyforsocietytoperfectitself.SourcesofAmericannaturalism:Literarynaturalismderivesmainlyfromabiologicalmodel.ItsoriginowesmuchtoCharlesDarwinandhistheoryofevolution,basedinturnonhistheoryofnaturalselection.Darwincreatedacontextthatmadenaturalism—withitsemphasisupontheoriesofheredityandenvironment—aconvincingwaytoexplainthenatureofrealityforthelatenineteenthcenturyinEurope.TheforerunnerofnaturalisminliteratureisEmileZola(1840-1902),whichprovesthatnaturalismoriginatedfirstinEurope.Zolabelievedthattheliteraryimaginationcouldmakeuseoftheideasinthesebookssolongasthenovelistsfunctionedlikeascientist,observingnatureandsocialdatainascientificway,rejectingabsolutestandardsofmoralityandfreewill,anddepictingnatureandhumanexperienceasadeterministicandmechanisticprocess.Allrealitycouldbeexplainedbyabiologicalunderstandingofthematter,subjecttonaturallaws,availableinscientificterms.

Controlledbyheredityandenvironment,manwastheproductofhistemperamentinasocialcontext.“Iwanttostudytemperamentsandnotcharacters,”Zolawrote,“Ichosefreebeingspowerfullydominatedbytheirnervesandtheirblood,devoidoffreewill,carriedawaybythefatalitiesoftheirflesh.”

Zolagavehiscontemporariesatotallynewwayofthinkingaboutnovel.Temperamentwasmoreimportantthancharacter;settingcouldnotbeseparatedfromanaturalistictheoryofenvironment,norplotfromtheoryofevolution.Zolawroteinthelate19thcenturythatthepurposeofanovelistwastobeascientist,toplacehischaractersinasituationandthentowatchtheinfluenceofheredityandenvironmentdestroythem,or,iftheyweregoodenough,towatchthemovercometheinimicalforceofheredityandenvironment.Hisideawasthatheredityandenvironmenthadaninfluenceoverhumanabilitytosurvive.ThisideawaspickedupfirstbyFrenchwriters,readbyotherpeopleovertheworldandbegantobeappliedinAmericanliteratureaswell.Inthelastdecadeofthe19thcenturyinAmerica,someintelligentwritersbegantoseethathumanbeingswerenolongerfreeandstronginacold,indifferentworldandthathumanlifewasgovernedbythetwocrushingforceofheredityandenvironment.TheyheldthatHowellsianrealismwastoorestrainedandgenteelintonetorevealtheharshrealityofAmericanlife.UndertheFrenchinfluence,theyusheredinaliterarymovementcalledNaturalisminAmerica.Whilethenaturalisticnovelpresumestherealityofevolution,itoftenworksintermsofdevolution:degenerationandpersonaldeclineareembeddedinmostnaturalisticfiction.Andsuchdecayfindsitsequivalenceonthesociallevel,wherethefateoftheindividualisofteninseparablefromadecliningfamilyornewurbanizedcrowd.Definitionofnaturalism:Definitionofnaturalismhasgonethroughaprocessofchange,andmanyscholarshavetheirownunderstandingofnaturalism.DonaldPizerholdsthatitisanextensionorcontinuationofrealismwiththeadditionofpessimisticdeterminismanditsdifferencefromrealismcanbeillustratedinthechangeofsubjectmatterandcharacterization.Thesubjectmatterofnaturalismcanbeillustratedfromthreeaspects:first,itdealswiththoserawandunpleasantexperienceswhichreducecharactersto“degrading”behaviorintheirstruggletosurvive.Thesecharactersaremostlyfromthelowermiddleorthelowerclasses—poor,uneducated,andunsophisticated.Second,themilieu(environmentalcondition)isthecommonplaceandtheunheroic;lifeisdullroundofdailyexistence.Butthenaturalistdiscoversthosequalitiesinsuchcharactersusuallyassociatedwiththeheroicandadventurousactsofviolenceandpassionleadingtodesperatemomentsandviolentdeath.Thesuggestionisthatlifeonitslowestlevelsisnotsosimpleasitseemstobe.Thirdly,thereisdiscussionoffateand“hubris”

thataffectacharacter;generallyspeaking,thecontrollingforceissocietyandthesurroundingenvironment.Thecharactersinthenaturalisticnovelareconditionedandcontrolledbyenvironment,heredity,chance,orinstinct;buttheyhavecompensatinghumanisticvalueswhichaffirmtheirindividualityandlife—theirstruggleforlifebecomesheroicandtheymaintainhumandignity.Andthenaturalistsattempttorepresenttheinterminglinginlifeofthecontrollingforcesandindividualworth.Theydonotdehumanizetheircharacters.FrankNorriscomparesnaturalismwithrealismandromanticismandconcludesthatnaturalismabstractsthebestfromrealismandromanticism—detailedaccuracyandphilosophicaldepth.Heemphasizestheimportanceof“choiceofmilieu”.

ThatZola’sisnotpurelyromanticlieschieflyinthechoiceofmilieu.ThesegreatterribledramasnolongerhappenamongthepersonnelofafeudalandRenaissancenobility,thosewhoareintheforefrontofthemarchingworld,butamongthelower—almostthelowestclasses;thosewhoarefallingbytheroadway.Thisisnotromanticism—thisdramaofthepeopleworkingitselfoutinbloodandordure.Itisnotrealism.Itisaschoolbyitself,unique,somber,powerfulbeyondwords.Itisnaturalism.”LarsAhnebrinkholdsonthatnaturalistsintroducednewtopicsandhelpedbroadenthescopeofAmericanfiction:prostitutionandseduction,exposureofsocialconditionsandsocialevilsareallsubjectsofnaturalisticnovels.TheAmericanpractitionerofliterarynaturalism:ZolainfluencedgreatlyhisAmericancontemporaries.It’sbelievedthatFrankNorris,TheodoreDreiserandJackLondonweretherealinheritorsofhismethods.Asanarrativemode,literarynaturalismhasabeginningandanend,anEuropeanoriginandamultinationalhistory.Itdependsonabiologicalmodel,relyingheavilyontheoriesofevolutionanddevolution,seeingmanasaproductofhisimmediateenvironment.Itisessentiallymechanisticinitsviewofmatteranddeterministicinitsattitudetowardshumanwill,movingtowardtheoriesofdegenerationwhenviewingtheindividual,thefamily,thecrowd,andfinallythecommunityitself,whetheritbethecityorthenation.Asanarrativemode,literarynaturalisminvolvedaway