Naturalism, arising in the 19th century as a literary response to Darw

Question

Naturalism, arising in the 19th century as a literary response to Darwin’s account of evolution, focused on describing everyday reality but differed from realism in its attempts to provide a “scientific” foundation for its depictions of characters, stressing the influence of environment and heredity upon the individual psyche. Émile Zola, in particular, saw his craft as an extension of the scientific method into the domain of art. The 19th century, perhaps in opposition to naturalism, saw the rise of the Decadent movement, embracing artifice over nature in writing, championed by Zola’s erstwhile protégé, Joris-Karl Huysmans. The protagonist of his masterpiece, Á rebours (literally, Against the Grain, but more commonly translated as Against Nature), removes himself from society—viewing it as the product of a nature long surpassed by human ingenuity—and surrounds himself exclusively with art, perfume, literature, and technology.    1 
 Consider each of the answer choices separately and indicate all that apply.

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about perfume?

A. Some followers of the Decadent movement considered it to be an example of human artifice.
B. Some followers of the Decadent movement considered it to be superior to natural entities.
C. Some followers of the Decadent movement enjoyed surrounding themselves with it.

2  
 Consider each of the answer choices separately and indicate all that apply.

2. Which of the following, if true, would undermine the claim that the Decadent movement was opposed to naturalism?

A. Decadent authors intended to use literature as a vehicle for the scientific method.
B. Decadent authors focused on the effects of environment on shaping character.
C. Decadent authors elaborated on the way inherited traits influenced human behavior.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about perfume?

The passage indicates that Decadent authors embraced artifice over nature. Huysmans’s protagonist, in an example of Decadent writing, surrounds himself with perfume, among other items. It can be inferred that at least one follower of the Decadent movement considered perfume to be an example of artifice, and that he held it to have surpassed, or be superior to, natural entities. However, the passage does not say whether Huysmans enjoyed surrounding himself with the perfume—only that his character did, so the third statement is not supported. 
 
  Answer: A,B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

2. Which of the following, if true, would undermine the claim that the Decadent movement was opposed to naturalism?

All three of the features are listed as characteristic of the Naturalist movement.  “Vehicle for the scientific method”  matches  “extending the scientific method,”  while  “focused on the effects of environment on shaping character”  and  “elaborated on the way inherited traits influenced human behavior”  both match the passage’s claim that Naturalism stressed  “the influence of environment and heredity upon the individual psyche.”  If Decadent authors embraced any of these literary practices, this would bring their work closer in line with Naturalism. 
 
  Answer: A,B,C

Naturalism, arising in the 19th century as a literary response to Darw

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