11). By 1881, naturalism was the main subject in any argument about literature. The old controversy about the morality of the novel was revived: traditionalists protested even more forcefully to naturalism than to realism, because of, as Philip Beitchman asserts, its "deterministic philosophy" (Beitchman, 2010, pg. 38), and its tendency to focus on the violent, disgusting, and morally detestable aspects of life. The debate was not helped by widespread uncertainty about the meaning of the word naturalism. Some considered it a simple synonym for realism; others regarded it as an escalation of certain tendencies within realism itself - inferring crudeness. Yet others more careful and accurate in their assessment, saw it as a conscious attempt to apply to literature the discoveries and methods of nineteenth century science, particularly the biological sciences (Innes, Naturalism, 2006).
Chekhov's plays were perfect for Stanislavski's (1938) method, being plays that insisted on a system of producing actors capable of discovering the inner life of the man they portray [FW,J74]. So with the help of Stanislavski's teachings, his students took the naturalism of Zola consciously into the realm of psychology, which in turn informed and determined the realm of new and improved action on the stage (Demastes, 1998, pg. 22). At the same time physical actions, in Stanislavski's sense of utilizing stage objects for the purpose of providing the scene with an atmosphere or reality - related the actor to the environment in which he found himself (Marker, 1975 pg. 15). Elaborating on the naturalist impression created by these more simplified and controlled methods, Stanislavski said: "There is not one incident, which bears the mark of having been introduced for dramatic effect: no character crosses the stage to sit or stand in a different place, merely because the stage manager believes the audience wants the scene broken up.
