Darwinism in Naturalism
We're not talking about the Darwin Awards … although a lot of Naturalist heroes and heroines die in terrible ways.
In 1859 Charles Darwin published a little book called On the Origin of Species. This book would change the face of science and religion. In the book, Darwin showed that species developed through evolution. He also showed that the evolution of species was all about the struggle for survival.
Darwin's ideas were hugely influential on the Naturalist writers. His scientific approach to the study of species influenced the way they saw and wrote about society. Society, according to them, was one big jungle where different "species," or types of people, were trying to survive and thrive.
Chew On This
In his preface to Thérèse Raquin, Zola argues that his aim as a novelist is to be as scientific as possible. Hmm…someone's been reading Charles Darwin. Check out Zola's statements on science right here.
In the midst of battle, Henry, the protagonist of Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, is compared to animals. And not in the "healthy as a horse" sort of way. Check it out.