American Naturalism in Its “Perfected” State: The Age of Innocence and An American Tragedy

Naturalism has been a significant literary movement in America for almost a century. From the early work of Stephen Crane and Frank Norris to the recent novels of Robert Stone and William Kennedy, the subject matter and fictional form of naturalism have continually attracted writers of stature. ¹ Of course, given the problematical philosophical base of naturalism, and given as well the often sensationalistic contents of a typical naturalistic novel, the movement has also been subject to intense attack. Indeed, one common assertion by those who would deny significance to naturalism in America is that the movement failed to survive its high point in the 1890s—this despite the powerful thread of naturalistic expression in most major American writers, including Hemingway and Faulkner, from the nineties to our own time.