Naturalism A Movement In The European Drama English Literature Essay

Naturalism A Movement In The European Drama English Literature Essay On the other hand, parallel to Naturalism, another movement was born; Realism. It was a general movement in the 19th century theatre that developed a set of dramatical and theatrical agreements, in order to bring a greater loyalty to real life, to texts and performances. Realism began first in Russia and then it spread in the rest of Europe. Also, the beginning of both Realism and Naturalism happens at the same time as the scientific revolution. Realism of 19th century is connected to the development of modern drama which it began to exist in 1870, with the work of the Norwegian dramatist, Henrik Ibsen. So, the main representatives of Naturalism and Realism are the following: Balzac, Flaubert, Emile Zola, Henrik Ibsen, etc. During Naturalism there were two different literatures: the stage and the novel. In France, for half a century, there were two different styles: the theatrical style and the novelists style. These two styles had nothing in common and a subject which could be put in a book, could not be placed on the stage. In the beginning, we could could in French stage dialogues only for two people, unformed pieces of work, which performed in the public square. But as time passed, halls were built and tragedy and comedy born . M. Victorien Sardou is the actual representative of the comedy with plot. He is the inheritor of M. Scribe. Victorien Sardou removed all the all tricks and put new ones. He is one of the workmen of his period, who work toward their strength for a formula which other people dont have the genius to carry out in its completeness. His work was important and he gave to the public a taste for life and reality. M. Alexandre Dumas fils had done a better work. He is one of the most skilful workmen in the Naturalistic period. We can say that to him, we owe the physiological studies on the stage. Even if he was a bit unmeasured in some points, because of him the play became a problem that had to be solved. Finally, Dumas never used truth in his plays. During the 19th century, the dramatic author is enclosed in a strict frame: he must pay attention in all sorts of necessities. He has to provides truth evidences and try to persuade the audience that what he watches can really happen to anyone. But unfortunately, the theatre wasnt always acceptable from the audience. There have been many rejections of great plays, such as Ghosts from Ibsen- because critics thought that he talks about themes that are abandoned in their society (like syphilis, open relationships between men and women, etc). Actually, I believe that this reaction from the critics -but also from the audience- is accepted, because the themes that playwrights used, were pretty pioneer for that period and for their way of living. Of course the facts that they used happened in reality, but it was pretty unusual to touch themes like these on theatre, and that really socked them in the beginning. But as he can see afterwards, they overcame this way of thinking. At the same period in France Andre Antoine (1858- 1943) continued the great work of Emile Zola and Henrik Ibsen, to France and he opened there the first theatre of Europe, which called Theatre-Libre. His production of Ghosts was the first recorded production of Ibsen in France, but unfortunately they pronounced it a failure. After this, Antoine became a director and he tried to make some modifications in the field of direction. He also became well-known for his stage settings. Finally, Antoine tried to apply a new stage philosophy- that he produced- but not only to the new realistic plays, but also to the classics ( Aeschylus, Sophocles, Shakespeare, etc). Eventually, his productions became very famous. In Germany Otto Brahm (1856-1912) inspired by Antoines Theatre-Libre, open his Freie Buhne in Berlin in 1889 and his first play production was predictably Ghosts by Ibsen. He was for ten years a scholarly critic in Berlin and he was also Germanys leading advocate of Zola, Ibsen and the Naturalistic movement. Brahm, unlike Antoine, was assisted by well-educated actors and directors. Also, he tried to apply his new methods to the classics plays (as Antoine did) without looking back to the results of the previous. He believed that the classics had to live and change with their audiences, because a play may be old but the art of drama is always new and immediate. As we can see, Naturalism and Realism had a big influence in the history and the progress of drama in all the European cities. There were rejections and juxtapositions as it was obvious for that period, but these facts, didnt make Realism and Naturalism to loose their power and their importance in the history of Theatre. Even today these two terms are famous to everyone; only from this you can see the great influence of them, not only in the Theatre, but in many fields of our lives. 1. A Sourcebook on Naturalist Theatre: Ibsens Naturalistic Drama Henrik Ibsens (1823-1906) development as a playwright can only be understood in terms of the cultural battle of Norwegian independence. There was a continuity in the most general thematic terms, between his earlier heroic drama and his naturalistic work. Ibsen would like to represent reality in all of his plays and give to the audience/reader the impression that everything that appears in the play can really happen. In order to succeed this, he used three (3) main things: a) the stress of modernity, b) the individualization of even minor characters, and c) the use of everyday speaking language. Ibsen also believes that the influence of the play has to do with the spectator and the sense of feeling as if he/she was listening, looking at events that do happen in real life. In some plays (e.g.: Ghosts) the critics called him responsible for the opinions expressed by a character in the play and also that the book represents nihilism. But as he replied, nothing really happens. Furthermore, Ibsen had a practical experience as a theatre-director and this helped him with the writing of his plays and the way that he should represent Naturalism in the stage. Finally, as E.F.S. Piggott wrote, all of the characters that Ibsen used were morally deranged, the heroines were dissatisfied and had problems with their marriage, and men/heroes were all villains or foolish. 2. Ibsens Realistic Aesthetic Some of the major realists of 19th century are: Ibsen, Flaubert, Henry James, Balzac, Dickens, George Eliot, etc. all of them have differences between them. Here Ibsen talks about the Realistic Aesthetic. First of all, in literature, the realistic aesthetic focus on reality and downgrade the main subject. Realism maintain that any any subject is suitable to be used, if it represents reality. In other words, the new attitude in realism and naturalism, elevates arts above the subject and the artist is the one who made the subject important. In Flauberts work, the aesthetic dimension is being used very much,especially with irony (like Ibsen). For Ibsen Realistic aesthetic, the old form of drama had been stopped to be valid. Therefore, the struggle of the human spirit, in order to achieve greater authenticity as it moves forward, had to take up and abandon one spiritual drama after another. Finally, the Realistic aesthetic (for Ibsen) can be derived into two more things: a) a highly critical or sceptical attitude towards conventional ideas of reality, and b) from a number of causes (philosophical, moral, historical, social, etc), which undertake a posture of animosity, quickly reciprocated, towards conventional society. Naturalism on the stage- Emile Zola (1840-1902) Emile Zola talks about Naturalism and the meaning of it, about its representatives, novels and theatre of that period, and their characters. He also talks about the novelists of Naturalism and the great evolutions of the stage in France. Zola believes that naturalism exists from the first time that a person began to write. He also insists that naturalism as we know today, began from the savants who had worked like the poets. So, one day they decided to experiment, before they conclude. They abandoned supposed truths and they used analysis, rather than synthesis. This was an evolution for that time. So, the same happened in literature: there were only real characters, a true history of each one and the story of daily life. During Naturalism, novel and stage had nothing in common (especially in France) and a subject that could be put in a book, couldnt be placed in the stage. Balzac and Stendhal were first in the Naturalistic novel, and then Flaubert and, MM Edmond and Jules de Goncourt continued their work. Finally, in the French stage, we meet Victorien Sardou, Alexandre Dumas and Emile Augier who had a great impact in the Naturalist stage of France (each one for a different reason). Naturalism, Realism and The New Wave à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Naturalism and Realism Some people believe that Naturalism is virtually synonymous with realism. Even Emile Zola (one of the earliest champions of Naturalism) often used the terms interchangeably for Naturalism and Realism. But the New Wave mentioned that Naturalism and Realism different and each one represented two different formal projects. Also, the movement which moved beyond naturalism rejected Naturalism as a particular tradition of theatrical practice and this moved also to the directors, critics and also the writers. In the post-war context, Naturalism was quite a shorthand for the practices of the theatre before 1956, the chosen form of the directors, dramatists and critics that associated with it. Arnold Wesker, one of the most associated with naturalism writer, argued that: Naturalism (and also Realism) doesnt really exist, its an impossibility, because reality is quite obviously every minute detail. Furthermore, one of the main objections to Naturalism was that placed in a second importance questions of form and method. Finally, as Stanislavsky criticised his own work in terms of the defence of Realism and Naturalism, he said that Realism in art is the method that helps to select only the typical from life. If someone is Naturalistic in the stage, it only shows that he/she is not still able to talk about and perform historical and social essence of events and characters. 5. Realism and Naturalism The beginning of Naturalism and Realism happens at the same time as the scientific revolution. The new play was against the romantic form of drama, which was very popular during 19th century. Some of the main representatives of naturalistic and realistic novelists are: Balzac, Flaubert, Zola, Ibsen. When Realism arrived many people seemed to be socked by this, because they were used to the romantic movement, which was different. Realism tried to put on the stage only the things and facts that we can observe in our real life. Emile Zola (1840-1902) was the first who described a naturalistic theory in literature. His novel, Therese Raquin (1873), is the first milestone of the movement. Zola believed that everything had to be real in theatre, in order to persuade the audience. This would happen with characterizations, ordinary people as protagonists, correct use of language and dialogues. Henrik Ibsen (1823-1906) was a playwright who wrote A Dolls House (1879) and Ghosts (1881) both well known for different reasons. In the same period in France, Andre Antoine (1858-1943) opened the Theatre-Libre (1887), where Antoines production of Ghosts was the first production of any play of Ibsen in France and it pronounced a failure. In Germany, at the same time, Otto Brahm (1856-1912) inspired by Antoines theatre, he opened in Berlin the Freie Buhnel Theatre(1889), where his first production was also Ghosts. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Class Handout. Realism and Naturalism Innes, Christopher. A Sourcebook on Naturalistic Theatre. Routledge: London, 2000 Johnston, Brian. Text and Supertext in Ibsens Drama, University Park,PA; London:Pensylvania State, University Press, 1989 Lacey, Stephen. British Realistic Theatre: The New Wave in its Context 1956-1965. London; New York Routledge, 2002 Zola, Emile. The Experimental Novel and Other Essays, translated by Belle M. Sherman. New York: The Cassell Publishing Co., 1893

Lifes Simple Pleasures in William Wordsworths I Wandered Lonely as a

Life's Simple Pleasures in William Wordsworth's I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Edna St. Vincent Millay once wrote, "And all the loveliest things there be come simply, so it seems to me." This aphorism clearly accents the meaning of William Wordsworth's poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." In his work, the speaker reminisces about a past experience in which he saw a beautiful multitude of daffodils swaying in the breeze. As he recollects this scene, the speaker gradually realizes the true beauty he had found that day. Often, some of the simplest things in life go unnoticed and untouched, when, in reality, they are the most precious. Consequently, it is not until after these extraordinary things are gone forever that their significance is truly understood. Through careful choice of similes, personification, and diction, William Wordsworth clearly expresses that it is the simple things in life, such as Nature, that is so important. One element Wordsworth incorporates in his poem to signify the necessity of simplicity in one's life is the simile. The speaker begins his recollection with the emptiness he holds inside as he "wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o'er vales and hills" (Wordsworth 1-2). This simile symbolizes the speaker's yearning for something more fulfilling as he wanders through life. Often, clouds become separated from the rest and are left to wander aimlessly through the sky until they find more clouds to fulfill their emptiness. Wordsworth chooses a cloud to echo the speaker's state because, like a cloud, the speaker perhaps feels separated from everything in life and is simply floating through the patches of daffodils without a destination or purpose in hopes that someday he will discover fulfil... ...t: Gale Research, 1986. 389. Perkins, David. Wordsworth and the Poetry of Sincerity. Cambridge: Belknap, 1964. Pottle, Frederick A. "They Eye and the Object in the Poetry of Wordsworth." Wordsworth: Centenary Studies Presented at Cornell and Princeton Universities by Douglas Bush and Others (1951): 23-42. Rpt. in <http://www.galenet.com/servlet/LitRC>. Salvesen, Christopher. The Landscape of Memory: A Study of Wordsworth's Poetry. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 1965. Wordsworth, William. "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 5th ed. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. 1127. -. "Preface." Lyrical Ballads. By William Wordsworth. 1957. 111-133. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Criticism. Ed. Laurie Lanzen Harris and Cherie D. Abbey. Detroit: Gale Research, 1986. 388-389.

In a Mans World

In John Steinbeck’s, Chrysanthemums, he generalizes the spirit of a woman and delivers to the audience her thoughts and underlying emotions of being a woman in a â€Å"man’s world. † The chrysanthemums reflects Elisa’s character and her dreams of being free to grow, make decisions, free to travel, make her own money and most of all the desire to be attractive. Elisa feels closed in and secluded from the rest of the world, just as Steinbeck describes the atmosphere at the introduction of the story, â€Å"The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world† (192). Feeling weak and powerless, Elisa unconsciously demonstrates the characteristics of masculinity in order to assimilate into a world not of a woman. For instance, she dresses in clothes that are too big for her feminine features and wears her husband’s huge hat which covers her soft womanly features. Therefore, all of her tools and gardening were, to her, considered â€Å"powerful† and strong. In lines 27-29, Elisa is clearly mimicking the power displayed the men talking in the shed (her husband and two men) â€Å"She looked down toward the men by the tractor shed now and then. Her face was eager and mature and handsome; even her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful† (193). Elisa’s deepest passion is to be strong and powerful. In line 29, the chrysanthemums are described as â€Å"too small and easy† as it seemed to Elisa, though, resembling her own self-image. She exhibits control in the presence of her husband, not to appear diminutive. As she responds to her husband’s comments (â€Å"You’ve got a strong new crop coming. †) regarding her chrysanthemums, she straightens her stance and condescendingly tells him that her chrysanthemums will be strong soon â€Å"Yes. They’ll be strong this coming year† (193). Being a woman is most difficult in life. For Elisa, being treated as the complete opposite of how she wishes to be treated is what frustrates her. However, she is a woman, and the fact that she responds with innate appropriateness is what frustrates her the most. Henry (her husband) tells her that he wants to take her to dinner and a show in the Salina’s, which clearly surprises her, he jokes about taking her to see fights and she responds to him as any woman would â€Å"Oh no. I wouldn’t like fights† (193). Elisa doesn’t realize her husband is being sarcastic in that particular suggestion â€Å"Just fooling, Elisa† (193). Henry feels because she is a woman she won’t be interested or perhaps he is suggesting that she appears to be too masculine, checking to see if she is still womanly. Elisa is also frustrated with her abilities underestimated, as Henry noted her excellent garden, he commented â€Å"I wish you’d work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big† (193). She perceives this comment as if he is saying to her that she cannot multi-task â€Å"Her eyes sharpened. â€Å"Maybe I could do it, too† † (193). When the stranger is at her home he tells her that the road is no good life for a woman, Elisa is offended by this because she feels as if she is just as capable as he is of living on the road and sharpening scissors and repairing pots as he does â€Å"You might be surprised to have a rival some time. I can sharpen scissors, too. And I can beat the dents out of the little pots. I could show you what a woman might do† (197). Elisa’s hopes of going out into the real world are implied to the stranger when he tells her of a customer who loves chrysanthemums and she agrees to give him some for his customer. The chrysanthemums become symbolic of her hopes, â€Å"I’ll put them in a flower pot, and you can take them right with you† (196). The pot that the chrysanthemums are placed in is described as â€Å"a bright new pot† symbolizing a new life. As the stranger was leaving with her chrysanthemums, she reiterated to him to keep the sand damp so the plants wouldn’t die, in other words, take care of her. As he left, she said good-bye to her life and assumed a brighter direction â€Å"that’s a bright direction, there’s a glowing there (197). Realizing how many undesirable relationships she’s had or maybe the impassionate marriage she is in, Elisa reflects on her need to be desired as she explains to the stranger the meaning of â€Å"planting hands† â€Å"Everything goes right down into your fingertips. You watch your fingers work. They do it themselves. You can feel how it is. They pick and pick the buds. They never make a mistake† (196), then she emphasizes â€Å"Your fingers and the plant. You can feel it. When you’re like that you can’t do anything wrong. † (196). The stranger knew what Elisa was saying to him, so he tried to tell her of how he felt, but the pride in her took over and she did not let him finish, only to assume what he was going to say to satisfy herself. Admiring herself in the mirror, Elisa wonders how attractive she is in the eyes of a man. Her interlude, so to speak, with the stranger made her feel attractive, sexy even. She became exited about her new â€Å"spirit† and dressed in her nicest garments, fixed her hair and put on lipstick. With a feeling of revival, Elisa waits for her husband on the porch with a new inspiration to become more than a â€Å"woman. † Wearing her emotions on her face, Henry approaches and notices the difference in his wife, â€Å"Henry stopped short and looked at her. † Then he responded with words of affirmation â€Å"Why-Why, Elisa. You look so nice! † (198). â€Å"I mean you look different, strong and happy. † (198). Elisa clearly stated that she only felt strong and did not say she was happy. Her strength is what she relied on and her new journey on the road is what revived her soul. Elisa found that the stranger who desired her and took some part of her with him had threw her (her chrysanthemums) out on the road. She then knew that changing her life wouldn’t be so easy, yet she wouldn’t give up. She will have wine with her husband to remove the tension of her marriage and maybe pursue intimacy, which she is clearly missing, and she will maybe attend a fight as if it that will make her feel like a new woman â€Å"Do any women ever go the fights? (199). When Henry tells her that women go, she changes her mind, because she would not be the first or only woman at the fights. The wine that they’ll have at dinner will definitely help her to forget about her day and her life for the time being. Elisa feels as if she’s missed out on a real life. Being a woman in her days has been hard for her, sheltered, sexually repressed and minimal limitations as a woman has been mentally tormenting. Trying to stay strong has took a toll on her and the chrysanthemums that she raises every year, stronger and stronger, longer and longer, gives her hope for a better year just like them. The buds or years of her life have been picked off and cut down, but she has managed to grow them back strong. Elisa feels as if time is running out for her and her frustrations and profound sorrow over takes her and she can no longer hold back her tears â€Å"She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly-like and old woman† (199).

The Public Health Model and Contemporary Practice in the Prevention of Aggression Free Essay Example, 3750 words

These are measures that are undertaken to stop violent behaviour as soon as it is understood that it is about to happen. At the time things might happen too fast and result in injuries if the necessary action is not taken in an equal swiftness. This is why it is usually important to capitalize on primary prevention which is easier and less risky. Communication with aggressive patients in order for them to cool down is necessary as a de-escalation procedure. However, there should be a framework of approaching such a situation (Kemshall and Pritchard 1999 pp. 56-57). The health care professionals should be trained and knowledgeable on how to assess the possibility of physical confrontation. This is because verbal de-escalation that may be misunderstood by the patient can result in worsening of the situation. The nurses should be trained on practical approaches in order to deal effectively with such a situation. They should be able to understand the possible stimulus that can lead to v iolence and injury. The use of verbal de-escalation by the author only aggravated the situation with Ms Perkins shouting even louder. We will write a custom essay sample on The Public Health Model and Contemporary Practice in the Prevention of Aggression or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page