Realism and Naturalism second half of 19 th Century
Dec 30, 2015
By 1840 Romanticism is worn out Variety of factors: political, economic,
social, scientific, incidental (death of main Romantics)
Rejection of the metaphysical / transcendental in favor of the epistemological
A new set of ethical, political, social challenges
Realism
Reflection, mirror, reproduction Emphasis on daily life Objectivity Representation of what is visible,
observable Urban Middle classes Well defined space and time
(contemporary)
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
Positivism Rejection of
metaphysics Faith in observable
and verifiable facts, natural laws
Belief in positive and material progress through science
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Evolution Survival of the
fittest Herbert Spencer:
applied darwinism to social and political sphere
1859
Gustave Courbet
Aim: “to represent the customs, the ideas, the appearance of the times without prejudice or value judgment”
Represents humble, common figures
Stone breakers (1840)
Naturalism: Emile Zola (1840-1902)
principal theorist and practitioner of naturalism
art critic: supporter of impressionists
Rougon-Macquart series (20 volumes), including L’Assommoir
“J’Accuse” (1898), considered by some the most important newspaper article ever written– caricature that
appeared in PunchZola at the Biblioth
èque Nationale de France
Naturalism
Not a break with realism, but an extension of it. Takes from realism:
the representation of daily life, average characters (slice of life technique)
set in contemporary period plots that progress by means of causality the rejection of the fantastic and
extraordinary the attempt to reproduce real language Basis on research
Naturalism The Experimental Novel (1879),“:
Application of the “scientific method” to literature: novel as a laboratory
Importance of hereditary and environmental determinism
Man seen as another animal (la bête humain)
A Godless universe History, social and economic
conditions shape protagonists Collective protagonists Includes all aspects of human
experience (does not focus on the “beautiful”): sex, brutality, violence, crude language
Image of reality emphasizes the social injustices and defects: many readers saw in it a means of rebellion against the dominant classes
T. Lautrec, Medical Inspection
Germinal (1885)
Part of the Rougon-Macquart series (20 volumes):– History of two related families:
Rougons: upper middle-class Macquarts: proletarian
– Chronicles private and public lives during Second Empire
– Deals with alcoholism, industrial confrontation, prostitution, etc.
Title taken from the French Revolutionary Calendar: first month of spring
Beginning– landscape?
The mine (Le Voreux): forum Village 240 Étienne Lantier Initial presentation/characterization
(description, values, characteristics, narrator´s language/tone) of:
1. Bonnemort2. Catherine3. Zacharie4. Jeanlin5. Maheu6. Maheude
Six families
Proletarian1. Maheus2. Levaques3. Pierrons
Bourgeois4. Grégoires5. Deneulins6. Hennebeaus
In groups describe your family; include: their story, what family members there are, the relationship among them and their position with respect to the strike. Find a significant quote.
Étienne
Forum: Hero? Utopian dreams His ideology vs.:
– Rassneur– Souvarine– Pluchart
Religious imagery
Religious imagery for the bourgeois? Forum: Le Tartaret & La côte verte Imagery of rebellion/germination Forum: The mob
– Attack on Jean Bart– Why not Le Voreux?– Reaction of bourgeois– Bonnemort– Women and Maigrat
Why does Zola include Hennebeau’s discovery of his wife´s adultery with Paul?
The troops:– Men of the people– Shooting of miners– Reaction of the bourgeois– Jeanlin and the murder of Jules– Étienne’s attitude toward killing
Is Étienne to blame for the failure of the strike?
Souvarine’s act: language that is used The cave in: Catherine, Étienne, Chaval Above: the miners, death of Zacharie The reaction of the bourgeois Cécile and Bonnemort: the «crime of an
idiot»? In 6 groups:
– Look for imagery relating to the mine and the earth in your chapter
– Symbolism? Ending: Can we consider Étienne a hero?
Forum
Critics are not in agreement as to the message that Germinal conveys. René Ternois, for example, states: “The end of the novel does not allow for any hope. Rebellions of the downtrodden are fatal, and only serve to aggravate their suffering […] After the final catastrophe that Zola prophesies, he sees nothing.” On the other hand, Elliott Grant considers the novel a “work of indignation, compassion and, in the final analysis, hope.” Which critic do you agree with? Use quotes from the text to support your interpretation.
No hope
Other arguments?– Battle’s rebellion– Jeanlin as the “only successful
character”– La Maheude’s job– Henri & Lenore’s future– Soldiers’ response to strike– Cécile & Catherine’s death– Bourgeois victory