Naturalism

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     Jack was the best-selling, highest paid and most popular American author of his time. He was prolific: fifty-one of his books and hundreds of his articles had been published. He had written thousands of letters. Many additional works have been published posthumously. His most notable books include The Call of the Wild ( which was published in 1903, The Iron Heel and White Fang, His short story, ¡§To Build A Fire¡¨, is considered to be an all-time classic. His writings have been translated in several dozen languages and to this day continue to be widely read throughout the world. This American literary genius brilliantly and compassionately portrayed his life and times, as well as the neverending struggles of man and nature. Millions of avid readers have been thrilled by his stories of adventure. Authors and social advocates have been inspired by his heartfelt prose. Nevertheless, many of his life experiences were more exciting than his fiction. (Source)
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     The term naturalism describes a type of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings. Unlike realism, which focuses on literary technique, naturalism implies a philosophical position: for naturalistic writers, since human beings are like "products" should be studied impartially, without moralizing about their natures. Through this objective study of human beings, naturalistic writers believed that the laws behind the forces that govern human lives might be studied and understood. Naturalistic writers thus used a version of the scientific method to write their novels; they studied human beings governed by their instincts and passions as well as the ways in which the characters' lives were governed by forces of heredity and environment. Although they used the techniques of accumulating detail pioneered by the realists, the naturalists thus had a specific object in mind when they chose the segment of reality that they wished to convey. The key representatives of the writers include Jack London and Stephen Crane.

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     Stephen Crane, American author, whose second novel, The Red Badge Of Courage (1895), brought him international fame. The Red Badge of Courage depicted the American Civil War from the point of view of an ordinary soldier. It has been called the first modern war novel. Crane's works introduced into American literature realism, although his innovations in technique and style and use of symbolism gave much of his best work a romantic rather than a naturalistic quality. (Source)
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