Naturally Fresh

New Criticism: a method of literary evaluation and interpretation practiced chiefly in the mid-20th century that emphasizes close examination of a text with minimum regard for the biographical or historical circumstances in which it was produced. (American Heritage definition)

The definition above refers to a dominant form of literary theory that, although developed in the 20’s and 30’s, most certainly took its cues from American naturalism. It is time and period appropriate, as the criticism was born in America and featured American writers and thinkers almost exclusively. Our own Dr. Mitchell is very much a New Critic (note the way in which he has us analyze the texts and write papers) and part of the reason why this form of criticism flourishes in naturalism is because the text logically lends itself to close readings divorced from time/place and the intentions of the author. Remember how The Red Badge of Courage detailed several skirmishes of the Civil War without ever disclosing the location of the battles, the people involved, or the author’s own political opinions. McTeague most certainly took place in San Francisco, yet presented its characters and circumstances from an objective and unbiased viewpoint while shielding the opinions of the author.

Sister Carrie is no different but in fact exemplifies these virtues just as much as the others. Though it clearly takes place in Chicago, the novel bears no socioeconomic critique of the city or its industrialist policies. The narrator details many different aspects and historical elements of life in the city in a neutral tone of voice that hides the narrator’s true feelings about the circumstances. Authors like Dickens and Orwell wrote in such a manner that one cannot help but discuss their socioeconomic goals, but a close reading of Sister Carrie tells you nothing about Theodore Dreiser – this is by design. Instead of making direct statements about morality or ethics, Dreiser instead presents the character’s emotional and mental processes as impartially as he possibly can, creating a sort of omniscient documentary that seeks not to prove a point but present living facts. This ties back into New Criticism because proponents of this theory read literature with no mind for the author’s intentions or what outside circumstances brought the text itself because all that matters is the text itself. Likewise for the naturalist, all that matters is life and humanity itself, so that’s all that you get – as Dreiser seeks to prove, that’s all you really need.