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American Literature
through Time
To find out more about
a particular literature time period, click a link in the table below .
Naturalism
(sub-genre of
realism)
1880-1900
Content:
dominant themes:
survival fate violence taboo
nature is an indifferent force acting on humans
"brute within" each individual is comprised of strong and warring
emotions such as
greed, power, and fight for survival in an amoral, indifferent world.
Genre/Style:
short story, novel
characters usually lower class or lower middle class
fictional world is commonplace and unheroic; everyday life is
a dull round of daily existence
characters ultimately emerge to act heroically or adventurously with acts of
violence, passion, and/or bodily strength in a tragic ending
Effect:
this type of
literature continues to capture audiences in present day: the pitting of man
against nature
Historical Context:
writers reflect the
ideas of Darwin (survival of the fittest) and Karl Marx (how money and class
structure control a nation)
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