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What is Naturalism? STUDENT HANDOUT Naturalism is a term that you will hear associated with many different plays or playwrights. It has become a term that encompasses a variety of styles and features and it is one that, as Theatre Studies students, you should understand. You should be able to apply the term naturalism accurately and understand the intentions behind this particular style of drama, whether you think a playwright/practitioner is upholding naturalist conventions, or indeed whether they are rejecting the style. This article provides you with a comprehensive explanation of what naturalism is, when it started and who is associated with it. What does the term 'naturalism' mean? Naturalism is the name or term given to a nineteenth century movement that started in Europe. The movement's main characteristic, or aim, was to create realistic representations of life either in writing, art, drama, scenery, acting etc. However, it is easy for many Theatre Studies students to only look at this movement in superficial terms and consider naturalism to be something which simply strove to create reality on stage. Naturalism is much deeper than this. Naturalism was based upon trying to create a reality on stage. Yet, it is crucial to understand what type of reality naturalist writers wanted to create. Many believed that it was possible to look towards the scientific, ideological and sociological advances of the day to help understand the reality of the human condition. For example, the naturalist writer Zola felt that in order to create a truthful, real character, he had to draw influence from scientific and sociological ideas of his day and present characters in terms of how their behaviour is shaped by forces such as hereditary factors, a person's environment, their emotions etc. Naturalism is about presenting a new form of truth or reality on stage; one that challenges the old conventions and presents a new depiction of reality and the human condition. How did naturalism change theatre? In the nineteenth century audiences had been used to watching plays that were entertaining, the plays would often be sentimental or tried to create comedy. Characters were often not believable, but instead entertaining and roles were not always an accurate depiction of life. Some playwrights, such as Ibsen, started to see a need for change. They wanted to prove that theatre could be used to make audiences reflect upon society and the human condition. The nineteenth century was a time of great change and it is easy to understand why playwrights wanted to see this change reflected in the theatre and their characters. There were many different ideological, social and technological changes happening such as the theories of Darwin, Marx or new uses of technology which challenged people's long-held beliefs and traditions. People's ideas also started to change with regards to the function or purpose of the arts. Theatre was no longer seen as merely something to make an audience laugh or feel good; it could be a device by which to shed light upon the human condition and explore human behaviour. This could be why many of Ibsen's audiences were initially shocked by plays-they were not used to plays which contained such serious and often controversial messages. How was Zola associated with naturalism? In the 1880s the French writer Emile Zola (1840-1902) created novels and plays in which he represented life in a realistic way, by using new conventions. Zola produced a series of essays entitled Naturalism in the Theatre in 1881 which conveyed the idea that, for theatre to survive, drama had to become naturalistic. He spoke of the need for real characters, in real environments, observing real life. Zola's ideas about naturalism changed French theatre and he is often seen as being the writer who provided the templates or conventions that many naturalist practitioners went on to use. Zola incorporated an element of scientific theory into his plays, presenting characters in terms of how they are shaped by their environment and hereditary factors, drawing inspiration from modern scientific advances from the time such as Darwin's principles of natural selection. Zola wanted to create accurate characters to convey the true human condition, rather than characters that would merely entertain. Zola believed that, like science, drama had the potential to be experimental. He tried to delve into human behaviour presenting images of relationships and actions that were not always pleasant, but were accurate and real. Because of Zola's influences, many naturalist writers such as Ibsen, would try to apply scientific principles to their understanding of human beings, in particular looking at humans in relation to their surroundings, focusing upon characters in terms of their passions and emotions, as well as their environment and underlying factors that could influence their behaviour and present accurate and believable characters. When approaching Ibsen's work, you should try to decide whether you think he was influenced by the ideas of Zola and the conventions used by other naturalist writers at the time. OEHd Ltd- Hedda Gabler Teaching Folder 5. STUDENT HANDOUT THREE