THE EFFECTS OF THE MOVEMENTS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY ON THE AGE OF NATURALISM

The Age of Naturalism is a period of American literature which took place between the years 1895 and 1920. As a period that came after the Age of Realism (1865 – 1895), Naturalism arose as a literary movement with a stronger, deterministic and more pessimistic style. Originally born in France in late 19th Century, Naturalism became popular as soon as industrialization began ruling the world. Industrialization started as a movement with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, which began in England in late 18th Century. With the improvement of more powerful and faster machines able to be used in various aspects, industry developed faster than ever in human history, and also pervaded worldwide with the same speed it developed. In just one century, toward the end of the 19th Century, industrialization revolutionized human life, and changed the way we thought about our lives. As a matter of fact, the styles of authors with changing conceptions of the world also changed. So, it can be said that the Age of Naturalism was deeply affected by the movements of industrialization, which occurred at the same time as Naturalism.

Industrial Revolution started in England with the development and registration of the modern steam engine by James Watt in 1781. This machine was able to convert the power of hot steam pressure into motion. Its working principle was based on the evaporation of water under the heat of coals, which was converted to circular motion via a system of pistons and wheels. As it generated much more and continuous power with greater speed than traditional methods, people began to use it in every aspect of life: Faster and longer-range transportation was enabled with the inventions of vehicles such as steamboats and steam tr...

... middle of paper ...

...ered as a whole, it is perceivable that all these qualities of the Naturalist literature are based on the results of the movements of industrialization in the 19th Century.

In conclusion, late 19th Century witnessed several noteworthy incidents, two of which were the Age of Naturalism and industrialization. Along with occurring at the same period, these two occasions had apparent effects on each other. Especially, the movements of industrialization caused significant changes in our lives, and the results of these changes led to the changing style in literature, which we today call the Age of Naturalism. When taken as a whole, the changing lifestyles and values brought by a more realistic and pessimistic style. All in all, it is indisputable that the movements of industrialization in the late 19th Century had incontrovertible effects on the Age of Naturalism.