Modernism

Disillusion, Defiance & Discontent

1914-1946

Happening in the US:

Marked by 2 world wars, prosperity, and worldwide depression

A period of artistic experimentation and lasting literary achievement

Feeling of optimism before WWI WWI – struggle between Allies and Central

Powers, machine guns US involvement started with the German

sinking of the British Lusitania – Americans were on board

Prosperity and Depression

Prohibition – led to bootlegging, speakeasies, law breaking, and warfare among gangs

Economy began to boom after 1921 Entertainment: Radio – then jazz, music,

movies – movie palaces, the Charleston 1929 – Great Depression President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the

New Deal – ended the Depression

World War II

Began with the German invasion of Poland Isolation – dominant mood in US after the

fall of France US joined Allies after the Japanese bombing

of Pearl Harbor in 1941 Atomic bombing of 2 Japanese cities ended

war Now peace and the atomic age!!!

What is Modernism? Modernists experimented with a variety of new

approaches and techniques. Common purpose: to capture the essence of

modern life in the both the form and content of their work

In literature – used fragments, omitted expositions, transitions, resolutions, and explanations

In poetry – abandoned traditional forms and meters for FREE VERSE

Themes – implied, created a sense of uncertainty, and forced readers to draw their own conclusions.

Who were the Modernists?

Gertrude Stein Ezra Pound T.S. Eliot Ernest Hemingway F. Scott Fitzgerald William Faulkner John Steinbeck Sinclair Lewis

Known as the expatriates: These writers were unhappy after the war and many settled in Paris where they were influenced by Gertrude Stein.

The Expatriates

Expatriate = an exile

“Lost generation” – Stein’s term

Saw very little in their civilization to praise or even accept

Very pessimistic

Imagism Poetic movement of Modernism (1909-1917)

Led by H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) and Ezra Pound

Rebelled against sentimentality of 19th century poets

Used harsh, clear expressions, concrete images, and everyday language

Imagists believed that imagery alone could carry poem’s emotion and message.

Symbolism

a form of poetic expression in which the writer violently rearranges the world of appearances in order to seek a different, more truthful version of reality

tried to portray the emotional effects suggested by objects

Stream of Consciousness

More writers began using this between the world wars.

Recreates the natural flow of a character’s thoughts; imitates the moment-by-moment flow of a character’s perceptions and memories.

Landmark novel – James Joyce’s Ulysses

Also used by William Faulkner and Katherine Anne Porter

Poetry E.E. Cummings – wordplay, unique

typography, special punctuation

William Carlos Williams – sought meaning in American sights and sounds and used informal, conversational speech

Wallace Stevens – elegant poetry that explored the relationship between reality and fiction

Marianne Moore – lines measured by syllable counts, quotations, and quotations

Harlem Renaissance 1920s – 1930s

Began in 1921 with Countee Cullen’s “I Have a Rendezvous with Life (with apologies to Alan Seeger)”

A time of artistic, musical, and literary creativity for African Americans

Centered in the Harlem district of NYC

Produced great works of literature, the new musical forms of jazz and the blues, and opened the door for later African American writers

Harlem Renaissance

The American Dream

1. America is the new Eden: a land of beauty, bounty, and unlimited promise. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott

Fitzgerald, reflects both the promise and the disappointment of this idea.

The American Dream

2. Optimism, justified by the ever-expanding opportunity and abundance that people expect of the U.S., embodies the American belief in progress and the “pursuit of happiness.”

The American Dream

2. The importance and ultimate triumph of the individual – an independent, self-reliant person – comprises the 3rd element. “Whoso would be a man must be a

non-conformist.” –R. W. Emerson

The New American Hero

Introduced by Ernest Hemingway, he was a man of action, a warrior, a tough competitor. He has a code of honor, courage, and endurance.

Hero shows “grace under pressure.” However, he’s completely disillusioned. He believes unbeatable odds are ranged against us all, so he recognizes and snatches up the rare, good, rich moments that life offers. Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby

Voices of Modernism “In a real dark night of the soul it is

always three o’clock in the morning.”– F. Scott Fitzgerald

“No more war, no more plague, only the dazed silence that follows the ceasing of the heavy guns.” – Katherine Ann Porter

“Everything is the same and everything is different.” – Gertrude Stein

Any questions???