Modernism in Literature

What is it?
When and why did it happen?
Dont confuse the Modernist movement with
the standard dictionary definition of modern:
Of or relating to present times (adj.)
Synonyms: present day, current, contemporary

The Modern Age

1915 -1946
The devastation of WWI brought about an end
to the sense of optimism that had
characterized the years immediately preceding
the war. Many people were left with a feeling
of uncertainty, disjointedness , and
disillusionment. No longer trusting the values
of the world, people sought to find new ideas
that were more applicable to 20th century life.
Modernists sought to capture the essence of
modern life.

Why did Modernism Happen?

In the aftermath of WWI, people were
faced with :
Disillusion
Dehumanization
Survivor guilt and
Mechanized Death

Questions of the Modern Era

What

is human nature?
What do I know?
Is it possible to know anything for sure?
Is it just our perception or point of view
that dictates reality?

Example of Schrodingers cat: both alive

and dead at the same time

What

is truth?

The Expatriates
The

postwar disenchantment led a

number of American writers to become
expatriates, or exiles. They were
nicknamed The Lost Generation.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway,
Sherwood Anderson, Ezra Pound and
T.S. Eliot were all members of this
group.

What are the characteristics of

Modernism?
Marked

by a strong and intentional break

with tradition.
This break includes a strong reaction
against established religious, political,
and social views.
A belief that reality is created in the act
of perceiving it; there is no such thing as
absolute truth.
Life is unordered

Common Themes of
Modernism
Alienation,

loss and despair

Reality vs. perception (point of view)
Championship of the individual and
celebration of inner strength.
Concerned with the sub-conscious mind
as well as the conscious mind
Strong and intentional break with
tradition

Techniques in Modernism
Writers

and poets spurred common

conventions of writing: they might omit
punctuation, or create a new form
Writing took on an experimental nature
Influenced by developments in modern
psychology, writers began using the
stream-of-consciousness technique,
attempting to re-create the natural flow
of a characters thoughts.

Techniques in Modernism
Lack

of traditional chronological
narrative (discontinuous narrative)
Break of narrative frames
fragmentation = disjointed and
nonlinear narratives. Modernist
literature embraces fragmentation as a
literary form, since it reinforces the
fragmentation of reality

Techniques used in Modernism

flashback

presents an event from an earlier

time, it interrupts the chronological presentation
of events.
Interior monologue technique a kind of
stream of consciousness writing- presents
characters thoughts in the form of silent inner
speech. Interior Monologue = a character
talking/thinking, using words specific to that
character, making assumptions, mistaken
judgments, conclusions RIGHT FOR THAT
CHARACTER.

Techniques used in Modernism

Stream

of Consciousness - a narrative
technique that presents thoughts as if they were
coming directly from a characters mind. Instead
of being arranged in chronological order, the
events are presented from the characters point
of view. Events are presented as the character
thinks of them, not in chronological order.
Stream of consciousness tends to be less
ordered than interior monologue. Consciousness
has no beginning and no end thoughts flit quite
randomly from one thing to another.

Examples of Modern Literature

James

Joyce His experimental work, Ulysses,

completely abandons generally accepted notions of
plot, setting, and characters
Virginia Woolfs To the Lighthouse, strays from
conventional forms, focusing on Stream of
Consciousness
Stevie Smiths Novel on Yellow Paper parodies
conventionality
Aldous Huxleys Brave New World protests
against the dangers and nature of modern society
D. H. Lawrences works reflect on the
dehumanizing effect of modern society.
T.S. Eliots The Wasteland emphasizes the
emptiness of Industrialism.

American Modernism
Ernest

Hemingway chronicles the

meaningless lives of the Lost Generation
F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby
shows the corruption of the American
Dream

What is Postmodernism?
Postmodernism is a term that encompasses a
wide-range of developments in philosophy,
film, architecture, art, literature, and culture.
Originally a reaction to modernism, referring
to the lack of artistic, intellectual, or cultural
thought or organized principle.
Started around 1940s, exact date is unknown.
Peaked around the 1960s and 1970s with the
release of Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse Five