Literature of the Speaking English Countries I – 2020

Prof. Romina Gómez

Week 7

I. Modernism: Literature from the first half of the 20th century

1. Watch a short video as an introduction of the Modernist Era.

2. From the book “Modernist Literature: An Introduction”, read the Introduction
(pp.1-18) and answer the following questions.

a. Identify the five tendencies that shaped Modernism.

b. From the various definitions of the Modernist movement in the book, try to define briefly
its characteristics.
c. How did the 19th century contribute to Modernist writing?
d. Which important events placed women in a new position among society?
e. What did Virginia Woolf think about the changes in the dynamics of human relations?
f. Name other authors that also included the “woman question” in their writings.
g. What were some of the dominant topics in 19th century literature?
h. Which great global event burst in at the beginning of the 20th century and how did this
affect poetry?
i. What was the aim of literature after WWI?
j. What were the characteristics of the novel in the 1920s?

II. Poetry from the 1920s

1. Read Archibald MacLeish short biography and introduction about the poem in the file
“Ars Poetica by Archibald MacLeish”.
2. Now read “Ars Poetica” and answer and complete. Remember to look up the words you
do not know or that are not familiar to you in the context of poetry.

Ars Poetica
Author
Literary period
Type of poem
Form
Main Topic / Meaning of the title

a. Why is the message conveyed behind the poem?

b. Why can we consider this poem as a “prescriptive poem”?
c. Mark in the poem at least 5 literary devices

3. Read the file “Sailing to Byzantium Commentary and Analysis” in which a short
paragraph about the author is included.
4. Now read “Sailing to Byzantium” and answer and complete.

Sailing to Byzantium
Author
Literary period
Type of poem
Form

a. From the Commentary and Analysis you have already read, which would be the specific
topic in each stanza of the poem?
b. What references to the Western/Eastern culture are made throughout the poem?
c. What is the final message the speaker is trying to convey for the readers?
d. Mark in the poem at least 5 literary devices
e. How is this poem connected to the literary period where it belongs to?