Considered as a whole, the seven novels written by Frank Norris contain enough of naturalism to justify classifying him as a naturalist. His failure to fully comprehend the implications of the naturalistic philosophy results in both strengths and weaknesses. He fails in The Octopus to maintain the objective point of view that the naturalists set for themselves, and a looseness of conception and a diffuseness of effect result. By allowing the ranchers freedom of choice in the matter of the means to be employed against the railroad, he achieves something very close to tragedy. Vandover, too, has a choice, and the novel suffers as a study in determinism, but Vandover becomes a more interesting character than he would have been without will.

This study attempts to demonstrate that Upton Sinclair's The Jungle was modeled upon Emile Zola's Germinal. A comparative analysis of their novels is the method by which the latter statement is substantiated. A close reading of these works unveils their overlappings in terms of characterization, theme and narrative. Following the introduction, the second chapter focuses on both authors' character constructions with the purpose of tracing the modeling process. The third chapter is a discussion of their similar thematic issues. The penultimate chapter deals with the identical formats of the writers' plots. Authorial differences are also considered in this work, but overall the main finding simply corroborates the validity of the aforementioned thesis. Its significance lies in the extent to which it sheds light on the close relationship between American and European literatures.