English III

MODERNISM-
IMAGISM
 Modernism (1900-1950)
 Modern Period writers were affected by
 These artists were affected by World War I, World
War II, fear of Communism, and the beginning of the
Cold War. 
 The Great Depression, commercialism, increased
population, and the role of machinery in daily life
also contributed to the attitude of uneasiness in
Modernists.
 The rise of youth culture lent the period energy and
defiance. The period is all about breaking with
tradition. 
 Modernism, Continued
 Modern writers are known for
 themes of alienation and disconnectedness
 frequent use of irony and understatement
 experimentation with new literary techniques in
fiction and poetry:
 stream of consciousness
 interior dialogue
 fragments
 style as substance
 Above all, Modernists believed in experimentation
and self-expression.
 Imagism: Inspirations
 Imagist poets were inspired by a French type of
poetry called symbolism.
 Rather than just describing objects, the
French symbolists tried to portray the
emotional effects objects suggest. They wanted
to get rid of trite, overused symbols (a heart
symbolizing love, the sun symbolizing the
passing of time) and discover a deeper truth.
 Imagism
 Using that French style as a guide, American
imagists believed that poetry can be made
purer by concentration on precise, clear,
unqualified images. The more "ordinary" an
image, the better.
 To imagists, imagery alone can carry a poem’s
emotion and message. Elaborate meter and
forms were unnecessary.
 Style of Imagism
 Imagists used the language of common speech.
They wanted what Ezra Pound called “the
exact word,” not the fanciest.
 The imagists wanted poetry that was “hard
and clear, never blurred or indefinite.”
 Many imagists also found inspiration in
Japanese forms, such as the haiku.