The Modernist Period In English Literature

Modernists proclaimed about a complete separation from realistic traditions that took place in the 19th century and decided to put an emphasis on Impressionism, Perspectivism and Subjectivity in their literary works. The main idea of Modernism is that emphasis was put on how we see rather what we perceive. Our own understanding and perception of event is even more important than an event of itself. The Modernists present the inner world of hero in the first place. How the consciousness and the subconsciousness are interacting, and how our actions and decisions are made

Modernism is the heartbeat of culture, or as Clement Greenberg (1992:754) states, modernism involves of what “is truly alive in our culture” and it includes more than just art and literature. Western civilization began to interrogate their foundations and progressed into a self-critical society (Greenberg 1992:754). This notion began with the theories of the philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804); he criticized the means itself of criticism (Greenberg 1992:754). Therefore, Greenberg (1992:754) perceived Kant as the first real Modernist.

Published in 1989, Modris Eksteins’ book, “Rites of Spring” argues that World War I, with Germany specifically as a catalyst, is the turning point of modernism. As Eksteins explains it, World War I was the final battle between the old world and the new, modern, world. To put it simply: England and her allies represented the old ways, while Germany and her allies represented new ways. Eksteins believed that the end of the nineteenth century was filled with urges for modernism with Germany leading the way as the “modernist nation par excellence of our century” Throughout the three acts of his novel, Eksteins continues to address how Germany, and both world wars, managed to battle the old ways of the nineteenth century and as a result continue into the twentieth century with humanity completely disillusioned as a whole.

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 was the most influential literary movement in England and America during the first half of the twentieth century. It had works such as The Waste Land(1922), by T. S. Eliot, Ulysses (1922), by James Joyce. Also included The Great Gatsby (1925), by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Modernism started during the opening decade of the century, a time of large experimentation in the arts. Artists at the turn of the twentieth century thought that the previous generation’s way of doing things was done.

Modernism changed the scene of thought and brought advances in the world that has given reason to its distinctive status as a period of intellectual thought. Modernity and its shift in thought has given rise to what we would call modern and this reference point is crucial when evaluating the direction man is heading in intellectual thought and society as a

Romantic innocence was replaced by realistic and knowledgeable concepts concerning the true reality of existence. The historical role of World War I leading up to modernism was that the world had never experienced the horrors of modern warfare, so society and literature as a result consciously transformed from the innocence of previous generations to the grotesque descriptions of reality as it had become.

Modernism brought a new era to fiction as a whole. With World War One raging distress and fear to people worldwide, the modernists as a whole were very angry. They were angry with the propaganda of the time telling them that war was good; those who’d seen the battlefield knew better. They despised their didactic Victorian predecessors, who taught clear divisions between right and wrong. Modernists instead believed that authority figures were corrupt and that morality is often unclear. This comes to light especially within the poems of Eliot and Yeats, and especially in the modernist manifesto Blast.

“American Literature, 1914-1945.” Period Introduction Overview. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. Gen. ed. Nina Baym. Vol. D. Norton, 2007. 1177-1190. Print.

The time period that my group and I worked on was the modern time period. This time period was 1914-1950. There was a lot of major events that influenced this time period. Some of those were The Great Depression which occurred in 1929-1939, World War I and World War II. The Enlightenment was another huge event that happened during this time. All of these events occurred during this time and influenced the writing during the modern period. A lot of important people wrote many important pieces of literature. During this time, there was many different values and beliefs. The modern time period wasn’t just a type of literature, it was a movement. It was really a great incline of the youth culture. The type of writing that is has is mostly

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’’ Everyone has their own personal fears but despite the differences in what we fear, we all collectively share one thing. The fear. The dread. And the uncertainty. Even long after the great war was long ended, there was always a sense of uncertainty amongst the people. Doubt and distrust of what is to come feeling betrayed by the governments that overpowered them. This lead to the Modernism Movement, a movement entirely powered by the fear of a next war, driven by the innermost feeling of uncertainty and doubt. The Modernist movement, occurring between the 1920’s and 1960’s, attempted to change existing perceptions of reality as well as undermine and disregard grand narratives such as religion

For centuries, the majority of literature was written with similar language, form, and style; however, between 1914 and 1965, the Modernist movement began to break traditional literary values. As World War I commenced, major transformations within Western society occurred due to shifting cultural values and trends. Many Americans began to feel as if traditional literature and culture were becoming obsolete in an increasingly modernized world. Therefore, many sectors of American life began to transition to encompass Modernist attributes, including art and literature. From these changes in culture arose Modernism, which is both a philosophical and literary movement. Modernism is broadly defined as a break from convention and tradition. The ideas

Modernism took place in the late 19th century and early 20th century, more specifically the years following World War I (“Modernism in literature” 1). The novel Angela’s Ashes, written in 1996, is considered a work of modernism. Writers often talked about historical events, due “ (feeling) that they were at the end of history.” (“Modernism” 504).

World War I, along with World War II and the rise of Marxist-Leninist states in Russia and China, is one of the defining moments of the 20th century. Parts of Europe lay in devastation and the United States found itself in an increasingly prominent place on the world stage. The United States’ decision to intervene in World War I meant that American soldiers would be fighting in foreign lands under brutal conditions. All aspects of society were rapidly changing as developments in technology and changing economic conditions redefined every part of everyday life. These developments along with World War I allow for the birth of Modernism. Modernism represents the uncertainty drudgery of contemporary life and the desire to achieve a new social order capable of overcoming the failures of the past. Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald present readers with two different accounts of modern life rooted in the same context of “American life.”

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