Outline
1.Why do American realism and naturalism appear?
2. What are the main features of Jack London’s creations?
3. How is Kate Chopin’s innovation defined?
4 What is important in Frank Norris’s works?
5. What characterizes Theodor Dreiser works?
In the new 20th century the American literature agenda is described as a fact of a great meaning. The most powerful capitalistic country at the head of the world gives birth to the gloomiest and bitterest modern literature.
The American realism is a social protest literature. The realist writers refused to accept the reality as a logical result of a progress. The developing imperialistic society criticism, his negative features representation becomes American realism distinctive sign. The new themes appear: destruction and pauperization of farming, the capitalistic city and a little person’s place in it, the monopolistic capital face.
In his best short stories Jack London has not only truly described American contradictions on the border of centuries, but also has shown an ability to look into depths of the human soul. The human in his short stories appears to be great and weak at the same time. He has created images of common but strong people.
In his novel “Martin Iden” the author affects many important sides of American life. Among them the theme of the social abyss, which divides the country to reach and poor, appears. The author marks out the cruel class struggle presence. But London believes that “Love came to the world earlier than the article speech and at daybreak of existence it has learnt ways and methods, which has never forgotten”. (London 127)
The Norton Anthology of American Literature gives us the following information about realism. One of American realism’s typological futures is its truth. While having a base on late romantic literature traditions and transitional period literature, realist writers long for describing the truth without embellishments. (Baym 145)
One of the outstanding writers of American realism was Kate Chopin. After her novel “The Awakening” appeared, she was destroyed by criticism. The resonance was called because her main heroine sinned twice. First of all, unfaithfulness and than suicide, which was an impulsive desire, but not a contrition. “That she was married made no particle of difference to Gouvernail. He could not conceive or dream of it making a difference. When the time came that she wanted him,—as he hoped and believed it would come,—he felt he would have a right to her. So long as she did not want him, he had no right to her,—no more than her husband had.” (Chopin 221) But what caused the main public horror that the author sympathized with her heroine. But they did not see the essence. Kate Chopin has described the young woman’s personality, which has not taken her shape yet, but was in a process of awakening. She was opened to all sounds, colors and scents. Readers were chocked by the contents of the book and did not see neither beauty of the creation no style perfection.
The pragmatic William James’s philosophy has become a background for the naturalism in its American variant. Authors pay attention to American’s social atmosphere, where the success aspiration was a part of ideal and became justification of competitive struggle. They emphasize Darwin’s ideas misunderstanding, which have substituted real human relationships.
This has led naturalists to the biological interpretation of social relationships and processes.
One of the leading American naturalists was Frank Norris. His main creation was the trilogy, as it meant to be. It included “The octopus”, “The pit” and “The wolf”, which was not even started. The typical features of American realism were brilliantly shown here. One of his heroes says that the nature is a giant machine, which has no regrets. (Norris 215) Norris was going to create a multi-aspect, objective picture of modern life. Norris’s world vision was inevitably romantic, but he also was attracted the attention to facts and documentary base.
The main American naturalism personality is Theodore Dreiser. In his works naturalism’s originality in USA has been expressed perfectly. He favors the “damnation” theme in a flesh, nature and sex categories. He is a dispassionate observer of this experiment. But he also sympathizes with his heroes. The basis of all his works are facts borrowed from his own biography. Dreiser always compassionates all his heroes even when they commit a crime. He shifts their guilt to the society and to the indifference of cosmic and nature forces about a person.
“Sister Carrie” is the first Theodor Dreiser’s novel. The main heroine is a young provincial girl, who comes to a city of Chicago and sees its alluring beauty. She hopes to find a good place for herself. At some position Dreiser gives a hint that Carrie is dependent on the city’s mythical charms. (Dreiser 79) The obvious author’s achievement is a sophisticated, complex and truly American character of his heroine.
Works cited
Baym, Nina, Krupat, Arnold, Campbell, Jeanne. The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Volume C: 1865-1914. Chicago: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009.
Chopin, Kate, The Awakening and Selected Stories of Kate Chopin. New York: New American Library, 1999.
Dreiser, Theodor. Sister Carrie. New-York: Doubleday, 2007.
London, Jack, Martin Iden. Bantam Classics ISBN, 2001.
Norris, Frank, The octopus. Chicago: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003.