Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

Maggie is regarded as the first work of unalloyed naturalism in American fiction. According to the naturalistic principles a character is set into a world where there is no escape from ones biological heredity. Additionally the circumstances in which a person finds oneself will dominate ones behavior depriving the individual of responsibility. Although Stephen Crane denied any influence by Émile Zola the creator of Naturalism on his work examples in his texts indicate that this American author was inspired by French naturalism.