Farzaneh Kazemi

Instructor: Ali Pour Isa

Course: Drama II
June 2012

Naturalism in Miss Julie

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Although August Strindberg, in his sixty-three years from 1849 to 1912, produced a vast
valium of work- ranging from short stories, poems, autobiographical novels, to Utopian essays ,
treaties on chemistry and semantics- it is on his plays that nearly all his fame rests.

these fall into well-defined categories, corresponding roughly with the different periods of his
life:1) Early Work; 2) Childrens Play-to which he was inclined to return in his few happier
moments; 3)Realistic Plays- a revolt against the stuffy theatrical convections of his day, and
largely occasioned by his turbulent relation with his first wife; 4)The Historical Cycle, written
at various times trough his life, usually after a particular turmoil, when he may have found it a
relief to escape into the past; 5)The Mystical Plays, which came late in his life when he began
to find comfort in religion; and finally, what he called Chamber Plays written for the intimate
Strindberg Theater in Stockholm.

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Strindbergs literary output is also separated by critics into two categories, the naturalistic
and the expressionistic.

From the former category, Miss Julie, A Naturalistic Play (1888) and The Father (1907) are
the most anthologized plays with Naturalistic features as the author himself emphatically
approves of it in his long preface to Miss Julie; thus, in this article, I intend to recognize the
naturalistic features as far as two of the fundamental Naturalist doctrine are concerned.
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The fundamental naturalist doctrine is presented in Zolas 1880 essay the experimentalor
experiential novel. In it, Zola claims that the naturalist writers subject believable characters

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Strindberg, August. Three Plays by August Strindberg. Translated by Watts, Peter. Penguin Books.
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"August Strindberg." Microsoft Encarta 2006 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005.
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Naturalism Literary Movements for Students, Second Edition, 2009 Gale, Cengage Learning

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 and events to experimental conditions. In other words, these writers take the known (such as a
character) and introduce it into the unknown (such as an unfamiliar place).
Another major principle of Naturalism that Zola explains in this essay is the idea of
determinism, which is the theory that a persons fate is determined solely by factors and forces
beyond an individuals personal control, such as heredity and environment.

The world of the play:

Miss Julie is a poignant study of the ill-fated sexual encounter between an ambitious footman
and a neurotic count's daughter (the anti hero). However such an account of the story doe not
lead us to an understanding of the right spirit of the play.

In this world affairs take place mostly in an interior place which is the kitchen, and its adjoining
room -owned by the footman-the kitchen is large and has glass doors to greenery. The natural
environment is not wiled, but elegantly-designed for a residence. There is village with a church
out there too. The kitchen is not a forlorn place. The gentle light of dawn passes through the
glass doors; there are shades and shadows as well.

The time is marked by the floating gleams of the sun light. As the sun sets it elapses deliberately,
and becomes frantic as the day breaks. The whole creation lives from a dawn to a dusk, there .is
no interval in the time. Three people live this time, more or less, and dont have visitors from
other places.

Tanks to the sun light this world is warm, and nature is not at sleep. It is summer, the sky is
clear.

The prevailing feeling of the people in this world is sadness; their expressions are coarse in tone.

There are cities to go; North of Switzerland is the farthest to travel. Other habitats of this world
are the Count and other servants, and a gamekeeper in the barn.

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Naturalism as an extension of Realism
Realism is an attempt to describe human behavior and surroundings or to represent figures and
objects exactly as they act or appear in life. This school is originally a reaction to the highly
subjective approach of romanticism.
The difference between realism and naturalism is harder to define. The distinction lies in the fact
that realism is concerned directly with what is absorbed by the senses, naturalism attempts to
apply scientific theories to art.
Therefore, in order to comprehend the naturalistic spirit of the play I should begin with
recognizing realism in the play, and proceed, just as Zola observes, from known to
experimental or unknown situation.
The opening scene of this play, which is called the exposition sets the bases for the play.
The kitchen of a house which is decorated tastefully, and the utensils in it. A woman wearing an
apron, busy with making food over the stove, all shows that the events are just going to take
place in contemporary time, and a familiar place. their clothing is also typical to servants,
therefore recognizable for the audience.
As the persons of the play start talking, they have a dialoged about their master, who is
introduced primarily through an account of her actions (ordering her servants to dance with her),
and then, through their comments on her background, that relate her present conduct to it, so,
indirectly demanding the audience to consider a cause and effects chain in the story.
after such a realistic exposition, or to put it simple, interdiction, Miss Julia is presented with a
masters characteristics: she orders the cook to make a kind of brew for her, but demands from
the footman to dance with her in a lustful and selfish tone which is a deviant behavior in her
class.. The response from the footman is in a thoughtful mode which is inconceivable to receive
for Miss Julia.
Miss Julia [To CHRISTINE] Pour it into a half bottle and cork it securely.
Let the man come now and dance the schottische with me. John? [She lets
her handkerchief fall on the table.]
John.[Hesitating] I don't want to be disobliging to anybody, but I
promised Christine this dance.
Miss Julia.[To CHRISTINE.] What do you- say, Christine? Won't
you lend me John?

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 Christine. I haven't got any say in the matter. If you are so condescending,
Miss, it wouldn't at all do for him to refuse. You just go and be grateful for
such an honor.

Christines remarks are usual of a servant.

John. Speaking frankly, and without meaning any offence, do you think it's
quite wise, Miss Julie, to dance twice in succession with the same
gentleman, particularly as the people here are only too ready to draw all
kinds of conclusions ?

John. I await your orders, miss; I am at your service.

This is where the reactions of the known characters to the unknown conditions are put under
microscope for a scientific study. Thus, the cause and effect chain, from this point (the rising
action), is given emphasis to the extent that it can be called a documented reality.

John.[Evasively.] As you won't understand me, Miss, I must express

myself more clearly. It doesn't look well to prefer one of your inferiors to
others who expect the same exceptional honor.

Miss Julie. Prefer? What idea is the man getting into his head? I am
absolutely astonished. I, the mistress of the house, honor my servants'
dance with my presence

Miss Julia denies her desire for the mans company, and the conventional mind of her
hinders a true love to be felt.
Even an erotic love is disturbed by their obsession with the boundaries of social classes. The
dreams they both have confirms to their situation.

Julie. Do you know, none of the others dance like you do. But why do you
go about in livery on a holiday evening? Take it off at once.

Julie. But you look quite like a gentleman in that coat. Charming. [She sits
down on the right, by the table.]

John. Ah! Youre flattering me.

Julie. [Hurt] Flatter? You?

The man rejects her advances, being conscious of some decisive elements.

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 John. I'm not by any means an educated man, but there have been
cases, and nothing is secured to the people.

Julie. I do believe the man is an aristocrat. John. Yes; that I am.

John. My natural modesty won't allow me to imagine that you're paying

true compliments to a man like me
John. Don't go down, Miss. Take my advice, nobody
will believe that you went down of your own free will.
People will always say you fell.

She thinks of this relationship nothing except a master and servant relation.

Julie. Why don't you sit down? John. I shouldn't take such a liberty in
your presence. \
Julie. And if I order you to

Julie. Bravo! Now, as a finishing touch, you must kiss my shoe. [John
hesitates, then catches sharply hold of her foot and kisses it lightly.] First
rate! You should have gone on the stage.

She becomes slightly paranoid, believing Jean when he suggests that the servants know she and
Jean were together. It is clear from their conversation that they had been sexually intimate in
their brief time in Jeans room. Jean asks her a leading question: Do you think it is possible to
stay here? She answers no, of course, but wonders where they can go.
Jean suggests that they flee to the lake region of northern Switzerland, where he will open a hotel
and she will be the mistress of everything. Warming further to Jean, she asks him to begin
calling her simply Julie, but he says he cannot while still a servant in the employ of a count.
They discuss his hotel scheme animatedly until he discovers she cannot back their enterprise
financially. He then says the plan is off. Miss Julie cries hysterically and says she cannot face
those on the estate who know about their sexual encounter. They will tell the count. Kneeling
down, she presses her hands together in an attitude of prayer and exclaims.

The idea of Determinism suggests that every event, mental as well as physical, has a cause, and
that, the cause being given, the event follows invariably. This theory denies the element of
chance or contingency, so, from the above account of the rest of the story, I believe the author
has managed to build up the impeneratable wall of determinism. Her implosive actions are

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translated into her failure, in effect. Whereas, both John and Christine know their limitations
more or less. and it is interesting that, although religiosity has protected Christine in a way, it
does not bring redemption for Miss Julie.

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References:

A Glossary of Literary Terms, M.H. Abrams, Ninth Edition, Wordsworth Cengage Learning

Strindberg, August. Three Plays by August Strindberg. Translated by Watts, Peter. Penguin
Books.

"August Strindberg." Microsoft Encarta 2006 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft

Corporation, 2005.

Naturalism Literary Movements for Students, Second Edition, 2009 Gale, Cengage Learning
http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/ Guides A Study Guide Prepared by Michael J.
Cummings. 2005