More Notes on Naturalism

“Determinism” (definitions):

• everything is determined
• everything is simply a sequence of causes
• there is no free will
• the belief that all ostensible acts of the will are actually the result of causes that determine them

“Determinism” (concept):

• Humans are acted upon (and controlled) by outside forces beyond their control
• Humans are seen as victims of fate or destiny -- e.g. Thomas Hardy or Kate Chopin, Stephen Crane or Jack London
• Humans have no control, no free will, and cannot understand the natural world
• Human beings are animals in the natural world, responding to environmental forces and internal stresses and drives, none of which they can control or understand

“Determinism” (types of):

• From Newton --> Mechanistic Determinism
• From Darwin --> Biological Determinism
• From Marx (and Spenser) --> Economic (and Social) Determinism
• From Freud --> Determinism of the Inner and Subconscious Self

Note: Naturalistic writers emphasize biological and economic/social determinism the most.

The “Metaphor”:

• There is a “competitive jungle” (Darwin, Sinclair)
• There is a struggle for survival and only the strongest will survive -- i.e. "the survival of the fittest"
• Humans are animals with animal characteristics, instincts, passions
• The human animal is motivated by the natural and fundamental urges of fear, hunger, sex, shelter, sleep -- and writers portray this frankly
• There is an amoral attitude on the writers’ part
• Writers neither condemn nor praise humans for actions beyond their control
• However, there is pessimism about human capabilities

Emile Zola -- the most influential naturalist:

• “The ideal of the naturalist is stated as the selection of truthful instances subjected to laboratory conditions in a novel, where the hypotheses of the author about nature and operations of the forces that work in human beings can be put to the test.”  Therefore, naturalism is “empirical,” much like a scientific experiment.

Naturalists:

• Strive to be objective in the presentation of matter / material.
• Strive to be amoral in the view of the struggle in which human animals find themselves --> no condemnation, no praise, for actions beyond human control.
• Are pessimistic about human capabilities -- i.e. “life is a vicious trap.”
• Are frank in their portrayal of human beings as animals driven by fundamental urges -- fear, hunger, sex, shelter, sleep (survival and comfort).