An Approach On The Naturalistic Tendency Of Maugham's Novels Creation

William Somerset Maugham( 1874--1965), the renowned novelist and playwright of modern Britain who has yielded enormous novels, fictions and plays, enjoys high popularity among readers for his specialty: appealing to the taste of both intellectual and ordinary readers. Drawing nourishments from traditional as well as modern literature, Maugham begins to focus on some themes that are of modern significance. However, Maugham is generally considered a realistic writer. This thesis purports to study his naturalistic tendency as a realistic writer.Conforming to naturalistic creation principles, Maugham's naturalistic tendency consists in three aspects: 1) Men, as natural being with physiological instincts including their desire and animal nature are described by Maugham, through which the moral decay of the bourgeois is extensively revealed; 2) slum and relevant lives are included into Maugham' creation so as to prove his belief that environments can inevitably influence character; 3) scientific vievpoints and objectivity are emphasized in Maugham's creation.The reasons for Maugham's naturalistic tendency can be available from three angles: 1) the influences of his time. With science and technology progressing rapidly, naturalism came into being in literary circle between the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Maugham's creation is inseparable from the penetrating impact brought about by this new literary trend; 2) the influence of relevant literary tradition. Maugham is beneficially impacted by those French naturalistic writers like, Stradart, Balzac, Goncourt, Fraubert and Franze etc.; 3) the influence of Maugham's personal experience. His experience of majoring in medicine enables Maugham to observe life objectively and this kind of viewpoint is applied in his creation.Not confined to naturalism, Maugham has made obvious breakthrough toward it, as further illustrated in the following : l)Maugham attaches great importance toplots, which just stands against naturalism featuring loose narration and constrution; 2) Maugham's language is special for plicitness, brevity, smoothness and vividness, forming a sharp contrast with naturalistic redundant language ; 3) Different from naturalistic style of photographic and journalistic writing style , Maugham's specific description is exquisite and minute; 4) Maugham's novels concentrate on the themes of alienation usually involved in modernistic category, such as life misery, absurdity of existence , which is a obvious devoid in naturalistic literature.From aforementioned, it is concluded that naturalistic tendency plays a minor role instead of mainstream in Maugham's creation. Maugham's compromise and integration between tradition and modern times, on the one hand, enrich his creation boundary and increase the authenticity of his works, on the other hand, generate some limitations. Anyhow, Maugham has expanded naturalism, which is his major contribution and characteristic in British literature.