Naturalism: Favorite Work

Frank Norris was a journalist, novelist, and literary theorist. He was one of the first writers to embrace French Naturalism and to introduce the style of writing to an American audience. He was an influential writer in the period of Naturalism, with multiple books published. At the age of seventeen, Norris left San Francisco where his family resided and moved to Paris with plans of studying painting and enjoying all the city had to offer. While there he was influenced by several Naturalist writers, such as Emile Zola, who inspired him to write instead of painting. He eventually moved back home where he studied creative writing at the University of California at Berkeley.

In 1899 he began writing “McTeague”, which was a more realistic style of writing. Norris was interested in human nature in its rawest form. Rather than showcasing the polite and civilized side of humans, he preferred to display the violent and animalistic side. In many of his famous stories he would combine naturalism with romantic fiction, which he would later separate.

In the writing of “McTeague”, Norris puts his theory of naturalism into practice. He creates a character who grows from poverty and a life in mining to life in the middle class as a dentist. He also analyzes the struggles of both ends of the economic spectrum as he is faced with events beyond his control, using prose to distinguish the ups and downs. He highlights his marriage as it goes from average and continues through a tragic transformation as the couple's life events play out.

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This selection is a personal favorite as it relates to human psychology and the actions and consequences of the conscious decisions made by mankind. The writings act as a mirror into the mind and life of the couple, McTeague and his wife. It was almost like being an interrogator in a police interview where you learn everything from the basic information about a person to their deepest, darkest, soul piercing secrets.

McTeague and his wife have an image of having an average marriage, which is brightened initially by a lottery win. However, as time passes and McTeague is barred from practicing dentistry due to lack of license, his wife becomes greedy with her money in a time of need. They make the transition from middle class, back into the pits of poverty which eventually wreaks havoc on their lives. This story sheds light on the impact both jealousy and greed can have on a relationship, especially when pushed to the brink of mental breakdown due to poverty and desperation.

Naturalism was a style of writing that achieved prominence after Realism. Reacting against the Realists, Naturalists rejected Realism as focusing too much on the mundane, day-to-day concerns of average people while avoiding controversial subjects. Willing to tackle stories about prostitution, murder, domestic violence, alcoholism, and madness, Naturalists explored the grittier side of life. Influenced by the literary theories of Emile Zola and by Charles Darwin’s writing about evolution, Naturalists typically saw a human being at mercy of hereditary traits and environmental forces beyond his or her awareness, understanding, or control.

McTeague fits into the period of Naturalism as it holds all the characteristics of the writing style. The story includes Darwinism, the struggle for survival, greed, jealousy, and corruption. McTeague is a story which focuses more on characters than plot, with the spotlight on McTeague and his wife. The characters of the story, for the most part, are considered lower class which was typical in Naturalism. The story incorporates both social and economic problems and Norris’ work captured the details of his subjects, not being afraid to discuss the unpleasant side of his stories.

His works showed that humans weren’t always in control of their lives and that it was the interaction with others that affected characters. In McTeague, Norris worked to describe the influence of heredity and environment on human life. Norris as a proved Naturalist wrote about life and the frailty of relationships, carefully and critically. His writings were written in true Naturalist style, with events portrayed as they were as they unfolded, without any attempt to create a false fairy tale for his readers.

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