Modernism In Modern Literature

The literary modernism time period was a movement in literature that started in the early 1890s and was very eventful. During this era there were many considerable events taking place such as The Great War (also known as “World War One”), which started in 1914. This War lasted for four years and finally ended in 1918, but its effects lasted much longer. The financial instability of Europe and death caused by this First World War gave people a sense of patriotism that unified them. It made people think of not only the society as a whole, but themselves as individuals ("Modernism."). This new individualist mindset made people think more about their thoughts and actions than they had ever previously done before. Because individuals thought

Modernism rose to prominence in the early years of the twentieth century with the “horrors of World War I” being the “catalyst” to the reformation in beliefs (Rahn, “Modernism”; Lorcher

The Norton Anthology of American Literature defines and explains American Modernism through a historical lens and further emphasizes the significant social changes of the era. The American Modernist era is situated between two world wars and a devastating economic depression. The anthology describes these impactful events as a catalyst for social, political, technological, and philosophical change. America lost a sense of identity and entered into a quest to find meaning in all aspects of life.

Going from long skirts and traditions the youth are beginning to radically change our culture creating controversy. This era is where many of our traditions that have never been questioned before are being put to the limits by our growing youth. We used to be a culture of women covering up, planned dates, horses and buggies and everyone attending church. The war is over and everything is changing, so the real question we must ask is, is it actually bad? First of all planned dating and seeming improper to mingle between the sexes is old and does not allow the youth to choose the right person that they want to spend the rest of their life with. Women throughout creation have always been forced to cover up and seem ‘ladylike’ but now the youth are showing that women have the freedom to act as they please. Finally, religion has always been something everyone believes but now with the new theory of evolution we should allow people to choose for themselves what they want. Therefore the youth are not merely destroying our

59. modernism- the movement that is currently in effect. Suzanne Collins is an example of a

Modernism was the movement that took place in Europe during the turn of the twentieth century, where the effects of industrialization, mass politics and other developments in society caused a change in the way people thought. One of the best ways to look at the changes in society is through the society 's culture because people’s work, whether they were scientists, psychologists, philosophers, or artists, show these themes and changes. Some of the major changes seen through these works during modernization include a movement away from Enlightenment ideas, a development of self-expression, a focus on irrationality, and a growing importance of technology and scientific ideas, and a great example to look towards for these changes are Vincent van Gogh and his art work.

Thomas Pynchon was born on May 8, 1937. He studied engineering physics and English at Cornell University before taking a job as an engineering aide with the aircraft manufacturer Boeing in 1960. The Crying of Lot 49, his second novel, was published in 1966 amid America’s counterculture movement. The novel’s protagonist, Oedipa, attempts to reinstall some sense of order to her life and to the increasingly disordered American mainstream by doggedly pursuing a conspiracy. Her efforts ultimately prove futile, as America, and by extension the universe, continues to careen towards its fate—a state of complete chaos.

Modernism was the most influential literary movement in England and America during the first half of the twentieth century. Representing an unquestionable rejection of Victorian elegant standards, moral rules, and literary techniques, modernism was initiated during the opening decade of the century, a time of widespread experimentation in the arts. The Modernists emphasized the internal thoughts of a character through the use of such devices as the interior monologue, or stream-of-consciousness narrative. The disoriented effects of the era of modern warfare that began with the First World War lead to such American

The early 1900’s (between 1914 and 1945) were an interesting time in both American history and literature. Considering that events such as WWI, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and WWII had formidable impacts on many people who lived during those parts of the early 20th century; it would be apropos to assume that many writers of that time had major influences in their writing styles out of the various events that occurred during those times. One popular literary movement during this time, however, was modernism; best depicted as a rejection of prior literary trends (mostly realism) that tried to identify the truths that lie within the fractured world that writers lived in; as well as a rejection of past ideals in literary design (Byam 1847). As a result, many writers and poets held different interpretations towards their works, which led to various impacts on the modernist movement. One such writer that helped define the American modernist era was E.E Cummings; with his own personal background, the topics of his poems, and the techniques he ; he was one of the most notable modernist poets and an influential figure of the modernist era.

The proliferation of the experimental spirit in modernist works of literature often alienated popular readership, and such exclusivity served as a mark of quality to a certain extent as it went in hand with the modernist intellectuals’ disdain towards the mass-consumption-driven popular culture. Modernist intellectuals rejected popular culture, as they perceived that creating work that would be universally accepted often involved certain sacrifices of their genius and ultimately degraded art. The movement was certainly not egalitarian in nature. Modernism in fact strayed away from the idea of thinking in terms of groups, opting instead to focus on the individual. It strove for self-knowledge, and the almost narcissistic interest in the self led to the “spiritual alienation, self-exile, and cultural criticism” that pervaded the period.

In the beginning of the twentieth century, literature changed and focused on breaking away from the typical and predicate patterns of normal literature. Poets at this time took full advantage and stretched the idea of the mind’s conscience on how the world, mind, and language interact and contradict. Many authors, such as Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, and Twain, used the pain and anguish in first hand experiences to create and depict a new type of literature, modernism. In this time era, literature and art became a larger part of society and impacted more American lives than ever before. During the American modernism period of literature, authors, artists, and poets strived to create pieces of literature and art that

What further contributed to the rise of modernism was the First World War, which shell-shocked many. People lost their sense of certainty and it made them change their points of views. It made modernists question civilisation. This is seen in T.S Eliot’s poem “The Wasteland” which questions

Modernism, in literature, can be seen as a shift in focus to the unassociated introspective reflection of characters in such texts as Go Tell It On The Mountain, by James Baldwin, Miss Lonelyhearts, by Nathanael West and The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. This is a revision from the previous focal point of exterior events and places in correlation with the character’s reflections. Emphasis is placed on review upon feelings and thoughts, and even conversations with oneself, as opposed to the more directly event-driven reflections in texts of the pre-modernist era.

The modernist period in British and Irish literature was one of the most important and exciting times in literary history. The term modernist stemmed from the beginning of the 20th century labelled the modern period. The modern period was a time of confusion and transitions, mostly due to the result of people returning from World War I. The modern period was an era of massive unemployment and technological changes. Freud, Jung, and Marx were redefining human identity, Assembly lines and factories were being introduced, and gender differences were starting to crumble. The modern period was a time of change, and the field of Literature was no exception. Susan Gorsky, in her book titled Virginia Woolf, states that " Virginia Woolf perhaps

There are multiple reasons for withdrawal and isolation in society in a time of war, depression, or societal unrest. People in the time of war are often conflicted with alienation of oneself from other people. After the war, the economy changed and people changed with it. Social standards shifted from what it once was, due to this change people could not cope with the freedom they had to spend their money on mass made products and money they didn't have to buy other things, eventually leading to the stock market crash. This modernism movement changed the live of many people and with that change happened even though many resisted along the way. The older generation couldn't accept the fact that tradition had little meaning to the people who were less patriotic and felt as if they weren't safe, and these people were called the “Lost Generation”. The two of these informational pieces directly link to Modernism due to the concepts hidden in them such as dissatisfaction and alienation.