Twentieth century English literature covers literary works, prose, drama and poetry

produced in the 1900s. Generally speaking, the twentieth century marked a

significant shift in the history of Great Britain and also in the imaginative writing of
the period. Looking back to the literature of the previous century (also referred to
as Victorian literature: late 1930s to 1901), it is obvious that both in style and
content, twentieth 8 century English literature is different. The difference is not
unconnected to certain events which shattered human experiences and questioned
age-long beliefs and practices, including how literature should be written.
The First and Second World Wars, the development and use of sophisticated
chemical weapons, the emergence of new theories such as Charles Darwin‘s
Theory of Evolution and Sigmund Freud‘s Theory of Psychoanalysis were among
the major reasons for this change. People‘s world view, attitudes, and disposition
to life changed as they could not rationally explain the kind of chaos and
destruction their normal and peaceful world had witnessed as a result of the wars.
Charles Darwin‘s evolutionary theory interrogates and negates the biblical account
of creation while Sigmund Freud‘s psychoanalysis opens up discussions on the
inner workings of the human mind.
Moreover, the war and the consequent displacement of persons from their previous
physical and psychic groundings seemed to devalue humans and the world was
seen as becoming a more absurd place as years went by. There was a break in
tradition and reactions against established institutions. With Karl Marx‘s analysis of
class structure and the oppressive nature of the capitalist system, the Church and
Christianity became associated with capitalism and the modern mind believed that
there was no absolute truth and that truth was relative.
Generally, it was an era of change and the writings of the period also reflected this
change. The experience and feelings of alienation, loss and despair were evident
in the works of writers. Twentieth century literature was in cont rast with Victorian
literatura: There is an  impact of imperialism that we find in Rudyard Kipling's
works etc. Another factor is Social Unrest because of the sudden Reformation in
every factor of life that is quite dangerous for human beings.  Two World Wars that
made a great effect on literature.
       
 For many, humankind was entering upon an unprecedented era. H.G. Wells’s
utopian studies, the aptly titled Anticipations of the Reaction of Mechanical and
Scientific Progress upon Human Life and Thought (1901) and A Modern
Utopia (1905), both captured and qualified this optimistic mood and gave
expression to a common conviction that science and technology would transform
the world in the century ahead.
The Twentieth century  writing is highly self-reflexive and poems written during
this time were much shorter and relied more heavily on free verse.
Additionally, many poets used the theory of imagism in their writing, which involved
concise language and sought to capture various images.
Among the English poets of the Modern Period, two of the most prolific were not
English-born writers. T.S. Eliot was an American-born British poet who is often
considered one of the most influential poets of the 20th century.

Novels at that time focus on man in his social circle to man as an isolated
individual. This change emphasized the thought processes and unconscious
impulses of man.  One writer who encompassed both Victorian and Modernist
ideals was E.M. Forster. He was also talking about Escapism. While many of his
works discussed class and hierarchy in social status, he also displayed an interest
in individual values. His two most well known works are A Room with A View
(1908) and A Passage to India (1924).

To conclude, we can see that literature reflects life and every literary or creative
work has an element of verisimilitude as it feeds on history or real life issues.
Twentieth Century English literature evolved as a response to the realities of the
First World War. We have opened this module and unit by looking at some of the
socio-political, historic events and intellectual developments of the Twentieth
Century and how they connect to the English Literature. As members of the
society, writers are also affected by these events and their works reflect the
changes that the world around them has experienced or is experiencing, The
emergence of modernist writers marked a significant change in English Literature
because modernists attempted to free the writer and his imagination. For
modernists, the traditional methods of representation are inadequate to relate the
true life experiences of 18 the modern man. Modernist writing, however, has its
root in the years that preceded the First World War. That is the Post-Victorian
period.