American Realism versus French Naturalism: Henry James, Émile Zola and the Negotiation of Ideology
Keywords:
Henry James, naturalism, ideology, realism, ZolaAbstract
This article explores the controversy surrounding Henry James's classification as a naturalist, particularly in comparison to Émile Zola. The author delves into the arguments presented by various scholars, including Sergio Perosa, Donald Pizer, Edwin Fussell, Richard Grant, and Philip Grover, who either support or question James's affiliation with scientific naturalism. The article further discusses ideology as a social facet, focusing on its role in literature and the representation of characters in James's novels. The author argues that despite the presence of Zolaesque naturalistic themes and French ideological practices in James's works, his treatment of American characters is neither naturalistic nor French. Instead, James's fiction embodies an Emersonian philosophy of idealism and transcendentalism, with Americans portrayed as innocent and ethical, resisting and learning from the corrupt European environment.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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