In 300 words or less, provide an analytical description of naturalism and a kind of anti-naturalism. In 1,200 words maximum, demonstrate what each description could contribute to the understanding of a scene from “Miss Julie” (pages 78 to 88) and a scene from “Six Characters in Search of an Author” (pages 39 to 48). .)Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay The term “naturalism” covers two concepts: that of a philosophical theory and that of an artistic, or more specifically theatrical, movement. The philosophy behind naturalism is a product of post-Darwinism and proposes that man belongs to the natural order, without higher spiritual or religious aspirations. Its character and destiny are simply defined by heredity and environment. As Abrams puts it: “Man inherits his personal traits and compulsive instincts, including hunger and sex, and is subject to the social and economic forces of the family, class, and environment in which he is born. » (Abrams, 1993, p.175) Naturalism as a theatrical movement was an attempt to create, as Ibsen proposed, a “perfect illusion of reality”. Theater had to become less artificial and more realistic, rejecting the stage conventions of the outdated romantic tradition. In the preface to “Miss Julie,” Strindberg presented perhaps the best naturalistic theater manifesto ever written. He made suggestions regarding how theatrical concepts such as: dialogue, acting style, character depth, structure, setting, setting, subject matter and genre, could be adapted to suit integrate into the naturalist movement. It is not a movement in its own right and as such cannot be defined specifically, it developed as a reaction against the naturalists and takes various forms. Pirandello practices a different form from Brecht, whose Marxist theories assert that man shapes his own destiny (a significant opposition to naturalist philosophy) while admitting that he does not do so in circumstances of his own choosing. Pirandello's form of antinaturalism uses naturalistic conventions such as natural dialogue and suppression of acts, while showing its flaws and contradictions. An example of this is on page 39, when the daughter-in-law and Mrs. Pace are conversing in low, natural tones, and the actors loudly complain about not being able to hear, showing the impracticality of the Strindberg's proposals. So both playwrights demonstrate a degree of compromise in their stance against naturalism, but advance their arguments in different ways. The technical goals of naturalism within a theatrical movement were best outlined by Strindberg in his preface to “Miss Julie.” .' He proposed that dialogue should not be exaggerated – meandering and mimicking natural conversation, as opposed to "symmetrical, mathematically constructed" dialogue. However, the dream talk on page 87 seems to contradict this. Ward points out that the speeches are: "Too carefully juxtaposed to be real, too full of pastoral imagery to be more than a lyrical expression of Jean and Julie's experiences, and far too tightly constructed to be part of a natural dialogue." (Ward, 1980, p.68) However, it could be argued that the stylistic rhythm of the speeches is designed to maintain the audience's suspension of disbelief, drawing them in with the action, which is a naturalistic goal. be natural and challenge conventionstraditional theatrical performances Strindberg emphasized the importance in the stage directions on page 82 of “Miss Julie” that: “When it is natural for her {Christine} to turn her back on the audience, she must do so; she must not look into the room, nor rush as if she fears that the audience will become impatient. (Strindberg, 1958, p.82) In the plays of the romantic tradition, it was unheard of for an actor to turn his back on the audience. Other floutings of tradition included the omission of spoken asides and the practice of actors addressing the audience directly. The same could be said of Strindberg's removal of divisions of play, such as acts. He initially argued that life does not divide itself, and also used this structure to intensify the action of the play. The naturalistic drama was keen to explore the psychology of its characters, as a protest against the tradition of stereotypical characters, and the emphasis was on a character's multiple motivations for action. Strindberg suggests, among others, the following genetic, psychological, and physiological motivations that led to Miss Julie's tragic downfall. "... the passionate character of his mother, the education... by his father... the festive atmosphere of the summer night... his menstruation... the powerful aphrodisiac influence of flowers.. ." (Preface by Strindberg, Strindberg, 1978, p.93 - 94) These motivations are linked to the naturalistic belief that heredity, environment and the pressure of the moment dictate human behavior. Miss Julie exclaims on page 117: “Who is responsible for all this, my father, or my mother, or myself? Myself ? I have no self; I don't have a thought that doesn't come from my father, or from me. an emotion that I do not feel from my mother... How can I be responsible?" (Strindberg, 1958, p.117) Less crucial propositions include the need for a play to defy genre, in order to escape the audience expectations. For example, the first part of "Miss Julie" could be mistaken for a romance, with a successful elopement, but the sentimental elements are then destroyed and undermined. A play was to deal with modern themes in a contemporary setting. The setting had to be as real as possible and there had to be minimal use of makeup, which hid the character's expressions. There was also a call for modification of the theater itself to raise the audience seats and remove the pit. The orchestra and side boxes, as Strindberg was strongly opposed to the use of the theatrical medium for light entertainment. Naturalism was an attempt to apply the discoveries of 19th century science. The naturalistic piece was conceived as a scientific experiment adapted to humanity rather than the natural world. Realists, like naturalists, believed that art is a mimetic and objective representation of an external reality, and both were opposed to romanticism. However, while realism simply observes humans with unbiased objectivity, naturalism goes further, "testing" certain traits, against perceived patterns of human behavior. Did Strindberg successfully apply naturalist philosophy to “Miss Julie”? Within the movement, there is an overwhelming emphasis on the need for facts. Strindberg's "facts" are called into question from the start in the preface. For example, is Miss Julie a “man-hater”? Without facts there can be no theory, and without theory there can be no practice, is his piece immediately discredited in this regard? According to Ward, Strindberg's intention was to represent Miss Julie as: "...an aristocrat whose role and function is replaced by the evolutionary process. She ismember of a practically extinct class which is destroyed by the representative of a lower and more dynamic class. (Ward, 1980, p.57) However, Strindberg's simple intentions and analysis, presented in his preface, make "Miss Julie" a considerably less good play than it actually is. Jean and Julie are trapped in their classes and their relationship is hampered by social prejudices, but Julie is too complex to represent a class or be "a pawn in a Darwinian strategy". (Ward, 1980, p. 58) John, too, is a powerful individual rather than a basic social type. Neither Jean nor Julie proves typical of their class, as Jean is class conscious due to his higher ambitions, and Julie is desperate to break out of social conventions. Ward finds Strindberg's depiction of class evolution little convincingly, stating: "It seems strange that such a sensually vital woman was ever intended to represent the last of an etiolated aristocratic line, or that such an insensitive and boastful lackey as Jean could be considered the success." representative of the newly emerging ruling class. (Ward, 1980, p. 58) In “Six Characters in Search of an Author,” Pirandello sets out to prove that the subjective is inescapable – a solipsistic principle. He proposed that human beings are isolated from each other and can never communicate to each other the full truth of their identity. The play depicts various power struggles, between the characters and actors, and between the characters themselves. The characters fight for the stage, in order to impose their vision of reality and their experience on others. On page 19, the daughter-in-law wants to own the stage to allow the full communication of her experience, but the father argues on one of the key points of the play: "...How can we understand each other, sir, if in the words I speak, I put the meaning and the value of things as I see them myself, while the one who listens inevitably takes them according to the meaning and the value that he has within himself of the world that he has in him (Pirandello, 1995, p.19) In other words, the recipient of the communication will project his own values ​​onto what is said. The purpose of the piece is to describe the insoluble nature of this dilemma. Pirandello's solipsistic beliefs led him to be wary of what he called the "producer's play", in which the director misinterprets and distorts the play against the author's intentions. scenario at several points in the play, first on page 48 when the director complains: “It has always been my curse to rehearse in the presence of the author. They are never satisfied", expressing the conflicts involved in the transition from writing to performance. At the same time, he admits that theater cannot accommodate the whole complex truth of a situation, on page 46 when the daughter-in-law argues over the precise wording of her lines, and on page 32 when the stage is being set for the brothel scene:Director: {to the Property Man} Go and see. there is not a sofa in the wardrobe Property Man: Yes sir, there is green Daughter-in-law: No, no. It was yellow with a very large 'plush' floral pattern. very comfortable. The man of the property: Ah, we don't have any like that. Director: It makes no difference. Daughter-in-law: What do you mean? Director: We're just trying for now! Please don't interfere (Pirandello, 1995, p.32) Pirandello found it alarming that perception is constantly changing, both over time and between different ones. people, and set out to portray this instability and state of flux on stage. HAS