Naturalism in literature is a phenomenon peculiar to the nineteenth century. To be sure, there have always been realistic movements in literature; but realism in the extreme form in which it manifested itself towards the end of the nineteenth century, in the theories and the works of the naturalists, is inconceivable either earlier or later. It is a consistent and logical derivative of ninteenth-century culture.
One outstanding feature of this culture is the predominance of natural science. Owing to the tremendous development which natural science underwent in this period, its prestige and its influence gradually came to be felt farther and farther afield.
The impact of natural science on nineteenth-century culture was two-fold. First was its influence on thought.