自然主義

• 読み: しぜんしゅぎ
• ローマ字: shizenshugi
• 漢字の分解: 自 (ji) — self; 然 (zen) — nature, as it is; 主 (shu) — main, principal; 義 (gi) — principle, doctrine
• 発音: /ɕi.zen.ɕɯ.ɡi/

意味

Naturalism. A literary and artistic movement that portrays human life and society with unvarnished realism, depicting instincts, social conditions, and environment without idealisation.

A noun for the literary movement imported from France (Zola's naturalism) that profoundly influenced Meiji Japanese fiction. Japanese 自然主義 writers such as Shimazaki Toson and Tayama Katai focused on unflinching depiction of the self (私小説, the I-novel) and social realities. Unlike Romantic idealism, 自然主義 demanded objective, often harsh, observation of human nature and social environment.

例文

1. 明治末期の日本文学において、自然主義は大きな文学潮流として急速に台頭した。
2. 島崎藤村の破戒は、日本自然主義文学の到達点を示す代表作として名高い。
3. 自然主義の作家たちは、人間の本能や社会の矛盾を赤裸々に描き出そうとした。

使い方ガイド

場面: literary history, criticism, academia, Meiji literature

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

Compound of 自然 (shizen, nature/natural) and 主義 (shugi, principle/doctrine/-ism). A calque of the French naturalisme and German Naturalismus, introduced to Japan during the Meiji era as part of the broader reception of European literary theory.

文化的背景

時代: Meiji–Taisho

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Academic