In the 1800's there have been two literary movements known as Realism and Naturalism that dominated the literary world. There were many similarities between the two, but enough variations to set the two apart. They both centered on a far more realistic view of the world and ordinary life. These forms revolted against exaggerated emotionalism and the extraordinary that was as a result of Romanticism. Naturalistic writers wrote about the earth in a harsher and blunter way than Realists by focusing on the lower classes. The Realists tended to concentrate on the center class that was the primary audience for both. I feel that Hedda Gabler and The Lost Phoebe are good representations of the two literary forms. They exemplify the qualities essential to compare and contrast Realism and Naturalism.
There are three main principles of Realism. The first is an focus on detachment, objectivity and accurate observation. The reader sees the characters as though from a distance, never becoming involved emotionally in their lives. The author never wants you to put yourself into their lives. You are simply just an observer or spectator. The characters seem to be to have a restrained relationship with each other. In Hedda Gabler, even though George and Hedda are married they treat one another in an exceedingly formal manner. She even calls him by his last name. The characters are believable in their specific roles. They all act as you would expect them to as is appropriate for his or her various professions and circumstances in that time frame. George portrays the normal absent minded research professor. He was obsessed with his research and completely oblivious to his wife's needs. Lovborg is the typical alcoholic with his recovery and relapse periods. The second principle is an focus on clear, but restrained criticism of social environment and morality. The writer was critical of the center class and their desires for advancement even at the expense of others. When Lovborg was pronounced dead Mrs. Elevsted was the only one who truly felt bad about any of it. Everyone else viewed it as an opportunity for George to advance without competition. It had been also critical of individuals marrying for convenience rather than because they loved each other as regarding Hedda, so when Mrs. Elevsted married the sheriff to truly have a home. The ultimate principle can be an emphasis on humane understanding. Some of the characters reacted with their fellow members in a sort, sympathetic way. Mrs. Elevsted worked with and helped Lovborg with his project as well as his alcoholism. Aunt Julie accepted Hedda's barbs and made compassionate excuses for her.
There are four principles of Naturalism. The foremost is that life is deterministic and mechanistic. In other words, humans have very little control over their lives. The events in their lives determine their destiny. Henry and Phoebe's lives have followed a pattern common with their time. They inherited the family farm and raised their children. Now, the children are gone - some had died and the others had gone their separate ways. This left Henry and Phoebe alone together until Phoebe died. Then, life changed drastically for Henry. The second principle is the fact that man is a subject for scientific scrutiny. In this particular story we have been observing somebody who has become senile. We have been shone how he has reached this state and the eventual conclusion. His futile never-ending search for his wife caused his final demise. The third principle is that characters should be selected from the lower ranks of life who need their circumstances improved. Henry and Phoebe reside in an old run-down log house that were in the family for three generations. The house, farm, orchards, animals, and everything they owned had fallen into a state of decay. They had grown old and were poor so they could not improve their situation. They deteriorated with their surroundings. The living standards on their behalf were much grimmer than for the characters in Hedda Gabler and other Realist's works. Hedda Gabbler had a good, large house that was well kept. Henry's lifestyle gets even lower when he moves out of his house and roams the countryside looking for Phoebe. He eventually becomes somewhat of your nuisance to his neighbors who try to pawn him off onto another person. The very last principle is that the spiritual qualities of man are irrelevant - he equals the sum of his heredity plus his environment. Henry inherited a solitary way of living from his ancestors and lived a detailed knit life along with his wife during her lifetime. The kids left and she died. His life became very lonely, isolated and solitary. This caused him to live in the past and have visions of his wife. This obsession took over his complete life. A naturalism man has little control over his destiny.
The two literary works, Hedda Gabler along with the Lost Phoebe, exemplify the qualities and principles of Realism and Naturalism. Hedda Gabler shows how characters are viewed with detachment. The Lost Phoebe presents characters as products of the environment. Initially it is extremely hard to tell the two apart. The differences are sometimes subtle. When you know the principles of every; the distinctions are discernable. Both forms were created to shock the middle class. Naturalism was a darker form and even more critical of the center class. The middle class quickly tired of this harsh depiction of life and therefore brought and end to this period in literary history.
