LaunchPad: Crane, London, & Naturalism

Crane, London, and Literary Naturalism

Read one or both of the following stories:

Stephen Crane’s "The Open Boat"
Jack London’s "To Build A Fire"

Then, review Donna Campbell’s Naturalism in American Literature, and make note of the following themes in Literary Naturalism:

  • The "brute within"
  • The indifference of nature
  • The forces of "heredity and environment"
  • An indifferent, deterministic universe (lack of free will or agency)

After reviewing and reading all the above, test your understanding of the material by taking this interactive quiz.
Also, fill in this chart of common themes of naturalism to prepare you for class discussion.