Theodore Dreiser: |
Theodore Dreiser is best remembered as one of the standouts of the Naturalist movement in American writing, especially for his two most known stories Sister Carrie and An American Tragedy. His novels were commonly regarded as “barbaric naturalism” as his writing style was sub-par yet he was gifted with raw and enlightening storytelling. Most of his novels such as Sister Carrie focus on the unpredictability of urban life along with other the social issues that had arisen in America after rapid industrialization. Dreiser’s own experience with poverty as a child and his struggle for success as a writer influenced predominant themes of Naturalism in his works. These included the vulnerability of humans to the uncontrollable forces of nature and the eternal, lopsided competition between the strong and the weak.
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Stephen Crane:
Stephen Crane was one of the “fathers” of Naturalism and was the author of one of the first naturalist works in America, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. Crane hoped to learn as much as he can about the life of both those in poverty and the immigrants who moved to America. His novel was different than most books because it demonstrated the grim reality of what poverty was actually like in America. One aspect of the naturalist movement is pessimism, which is highlighted throughout his novels. Aside from Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, Crane wrote various stories and poems centered upon the idea that a character's surroundings has the ability to influence his/her temperament and actions.
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Jack London:
Jack London was the author of various works whose foundation was based on naturalism, such as The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and To Build a Fire. His intense stories of survival with animals and humans struggling against the environment were inspired by his own experience. In his most famous novel, The Call of the Wild, a dog is given two options. One option is to yield to the dominance of the other dogs around him and the other option is to emerge as a leader. This shows the concept of survival of the fittest, which correlates to Darwinism, one of the most influential theories of naturalistic writers.
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John Steinbeck:
John Ernst Steinbeck is an American naturalist writer who was born during the time period that is widely referred to as the “Dirty Thirties”. Steinbeck dropped out of college during his teenage years and performed laborious labor before gaining success as a writer. Steinbeck utilizes naturalism’s major themes to allow readers to truly experience what life truly was during the Great Depression. The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row are Steinbeck’s most famous books that are inspired by The Great Depression’s harsh reality, introduces readers to the reality of human struggle during this time period. Steinbeck’s books also include the theme of the American Dream as most workers during The Great Depression needed hope to help them strive through the tough barriers the “Dirty Thirties” had to offer.
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