Modernism

Muyuan Zhang, Jamey Stolbom, Maisy

Porter
What is Modernism?
 Modernism was a literary
movement that had its roots late
19th Century, and would blossom in
the 20th Century.
 writers felt the traditional literature
standards and thinking had
became outdated with the Second
Industrial Revolution of the 20th
century.
Influences on Modernism
 Continuation of Imagism: a rejection
towards Romantic and Victorian ideas
 Influenced by recent scientific/social
movements in Europe
 Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
 Origin of Species
 Karl Marx (1818-1883)

Das Kapital and Communist Manifasto
 Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Interpertation of Dreams
What is Modernism about?
 The authors rejected Romantic and
Victorian literature
 Too “deep” and self-interpretation
 Rejected traditional chronological order
 Even Criticized the British Government
and society
 Experimented with free verse
 Strict detail interpretation
 Examining moods, impressions and shifting
points of views
The War to End All Wars
 June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz
Ferdinand of Austria assassinated and
Europe would soon be dragged into
WWI.
 A generation of youth enlisted to fight
for nationalistic and patriotic pride.
 War was previously viewed as an adventure
 Roughly 900,000 military death alone for
British Commonwealth
A Disillusioned Generation
 After the 1918 Armistice, which ended
the fighting. Millions hopelessly
returned home.
 The War was viewed very critical
 Growing sense of Pessimism among the
youth
 Critical of Romanticism and propaganda
that led Great Britain into War.
 Eventually after the horrors of WWII,
writers’ attitude became even more
dark and pessimistic
Authors
 W.B. Yeats
 Joesph Conrad
 Rudyard Kipling
 James Joyce
 D.H. Lawrence
 G.B. Shaw
 E.M. Forster
 T.S. Eliot (naturalized British Citizen)
 W.H. Auden
 Virginia Woolf
 Winston Churchill
 George Orwell