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Naturalism in American Literature

Naturalism in American Literature. Ms. Justice English III HN. A man said to the universe: “Sir, I exist!” “However,” replied the universe, “the fact has not created in me A sense of obligation.” --Stephen Crane (1890s). Background.

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Naturalism in American Literature

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  1. Naturalism in American Literature Ms. Justice English III HN

  2. A man said to the universe: “Sir, I exist!” “However,” replied the universe, “the fact has not created in me A sense of obligation.” --Stephen Crane (1890s)

  3. Background • Part of a larger movement known as Realism, 1860s-1900ish • Literature should contain “a faithful representation of reality.” • Spawned from Darwinism and its focus on nature • Study of Man

  4. Characteristics • Protagonists: often ill-educated or lower-class individuals • Free will meets inescapable fate • Themes: • Survival/Determinism (Social Darwinism) • Responsibility • Instinct>Intellect • Prominent Writers: Stephen Crane, Jack London, Edith Wharton

  5. Focus on: Jack London • Significant Naturalist writer • Member of the working class • From San Francisco: grew up in extreme poverty • Became a vagabond, moved to NY, arrested for vagrancy • Some postsecondary ed: quit school and moved to Alaska to brave the wild • Died in his house (by his own hand?) in 1916

  6. Words/Concepts to Know • Futile (futility): ineffective, hopeless (ness) • Dramatic irony: reader knows something that characters don’t

  7. Exit Ticket • On your index card: • Name at least one of the causes of the Naturalist movement in literature? • Name at least one theme of Naturalist literature. • Name one instance of dramatic irony in “To Build A Fire.” Provide a quote and page number. • Make sure you include your name.

  8. Sources • http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6jm_tnnufabvFrcEHqoUmX9LM8GySpok5vUDKDCKKEnczCyD8:www.cruisebrothers.com/images/Destinations/Alaska2.jpg • http://wpcontent.answcdn.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Jack_London_young.jpg/250px-Jack_London_young.jpg • http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm • http://www.online-literature.com/periods/naturalism.php • Prentice Hall Literature: The American Tradition. Pearson/Penguin: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2007. Print.

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