We explain what naturalism is, what its principles are and differences with realism. Also, its characteristics and authors.
Naturalism focused on portraying the most disadvantaged social classes.
What is naturalism?
Naturalism was an artistic and mainly literary movementwhich emerged in the 19th century as a sort of continuation and deepening of realism, opposed to romantic idealism.
This movement It was characterized by an artistic vision closer to realityobjective and above all committed to the portrait of the most disadvantaged social classes, whose problems it sought to explain through a rational, scientific vision devoid of morality.
naturalism It emerged mainly in France with the writer and journalist Émile Zola (1840-1902), considered his father and greatest exponent.
Historical context of naturalism
Naturalism was influenced by the historical materialism of Marx and Engels.
In 19th century Europe, two trends faced each other: Realism, the son of the French Enlightenment that postulated human reason and free will as the truths of man; and romanticism, a more idealizing and subjective movementwhich valued dreams, traditional stories, and mythical heritage as a way to oppose the Enlightenment.
In this context naturalism was born influenced by the scientific and sociological works of Comte’s positivism, Darwin’s evolutionism, Mendel’s genetics and the historical materialism of Marx and Engels. Naturalism was considered a step forward from realism.
Naturalistic philosophy
naturalism embraces a philosophical doctrine called determinism, which posits the origins of human problems in their genetics, their social defects, and their social and material environment, and applies them to literature and art. Thus, his stories generally delve into the lowest social strata, to criticize in his tragedies the unjust constitution of society as a whole.
For naturalists, Literature operated as a political, ideological and social weaponso they often used satire and social denunciation, that is, describing daily suffering as faithfully as possible.
Principles of naturalism
The principles of naturalism can be summarized in the following propositions:
- Human existence is controlled by natural forces beyond the control of the individual, which are based on instinct, passion, genetics, and the social and economic environment.
- Literature is a social document, so it must portray society as faithfully as it can.
- This representation must be done in an amoral way (unlike realism), that is, scientific, and above all far from the moral and ethical values of the bourgeoisie.
- The beautiful and the ugly are not judged as different values, or if they are, naturalism is indifferent to one and the other.
- They focus their characters on the social strata left aside by the bourgeois novel: the lower classes.
- They use a language that takes a dim view of slang and popular speech.
Differences between naturalism and realism
Despite being close relatives, these two artistic schools are distinguished in that naturalism would be an evolution of realismand therefore a consequence of this.
Yeah realism focused particularly on the bourgeoisienaturalism does so in the lower classes; something that it does in a pessimistic and atheistic way, contrary to the individualistic optimism of the bourgeoisie. Both movements reject romanticism and accuse it of being evasive and conformist.
Countries where naturalism was cultivated
Naturalism greatly influenced Truman Capote’s New Journalism.
Naturalism It was born in France and soon spread throughout Europe. in countries like: Germany, Italy (it was called “verismo“), Great Britain, Russia and Spain. Later it made its appearance in Latin America in countries such as: Puerto Rico, Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Venezuela, often linked to indigenism, which focused its interests on the role that indigenous people played in the constitution of these societies.
naturalism arrived in the United States much laterand significantly influenced Truman Capote’s New Journalism.
Reception of naturalism at the time
Many of the naturalist novels caused scandal, severely impacting the morals of the timeespecially due to his choice of low, socially ill characters and cruel material conditions.
In some cases the movement came to be confused with pornography, since prostitution plays an important role in their social imagination. However, that was not the intention of the writers.
naturalistic literature
The most outstanding works of naturalism, in which its philosophy can be fully appreciated, are Therese Rasquin (1867) and The experimental novel (1880), both by Zolá.
Other important works are The Malavoglia from Verga, The disinherited of Galdos, The pot by José María de Pereda, Birds without a nest by Matto de Turner, The pond by Manuel Zeno Gandía and Santa by Federico Gamboa.
naturalistic painting
Naturalism impacted the morality of the time with its socially ill characters.
In painting, naturalism intensified the characteristics of realismand was also baptized as Black Blade either the Nubiansstarring authors such as Charles Cottet, Rene Menard, Lucien Simon, André Dauchez, among others.
Main representatives of naturalism
The main representatives of naturalism, according to their origin, were:
- France. Émile Zolá, Gustave Flaubert, Guy de Maupassant, Gustave Flaubert.
- England. Thomas Hardy, George Bernard Shaw.
- Germany. Arno Holz, Johannes Schlaf, Carl Hauptmann and Gernhard Hauptmann.
- Italy. Giovanni Verga, Luigi Capuana, Matilde Serao.
- Portugal. This is Queiroz.
- Russia. Chekhoz, Dostoevsky, Maxim Gorky.
- Spain. Emilia Pardo Bazán, Luis Coloma, José María de Pereda, the Marquis of Figueroa, Enrique Sánchez Seña, Benito Pérez Galdós, among many others.
- Latin America. Manuel Zeno Gandía (Puerto Rico), Clorinda Matto de Turner (Peru), Augusto D’Halmar (Chile), Eugenio Cambaceres (Argentina), Rómulo Gallegos (Venezuela), among many others.
- USA. Theodore Dreiser, Truman Capote.