Assignment- Paper No: 110
This Blog is an Assignment of Paper no.110 History of English Literature: From 1900-2000. In this assignment, I am dealing with the topic Modern Age.
Information:
Name: Asha Rathod
Paper 107: History of English Literature: From 1900-2000
Subject Code: 22403
Topic Name:Modern Age
Batch: M.A. Sem-2 (2023-25)
Roll No: 3
Enrollment No: 5108230038
Email Address: asharathod1451@gmail.com
Submitted to: Smt. S. B. Gardi, Department of English, MKBU
Modern Age
Introduction the modern age:
The Modern period in English literature began in the 20th century and extended until around 1965. It signified a stark departure from traditional modes of interaction with the world. In previous eras, experimentation and individualism were often discouraged, but during the onset of the modern period, these qualities became virtues. This shift was accompanied by numerous cultural shocks, particularly with the emergence of modernism. The turbulent events of World War I (1914-1919) and World War II (1939-1945) further shaped this era.
The modernist period within English literature emerged shortly after the turn of the 20th century. It was characterized by a deliberate and international rupture from tradition. This rupture included a strong reaction against established religious, political, and social views. Influential thinkers like Sigmund Freud and Charles Darwin played a significant role in shaping the philosophical underpinnings of this literary movement.
The rise of modern literature was deeply intertwined with the processes of increasing industrialization and globalization. The advent of new technologies, alongside the harrowing experiences of both world wars, raised profound questions about the future of humanity. Innovations such as motorcars, electric lighting, photography, phonographs, telephones, and telegraphs transformed daily life, leading to a perceived depersonalization of human existence.
Furthermore, this period witnessed significant social and political upheavals. Women protested outside parliament, demanding the right to vote, and endured imprisonment and force-feeding during hunger strikes. Meanwhile, the vast and unwieldy British Empire faced challenges, particularly from its components in the Indian subcontinent and South Asia, which eventually sought their own independence.
Characteristics of Modernism:
1. Individualism:
- Modern literature focuses more on individuals rather than society as a whole. Characters are presented as facing challenges to their integrity. Writers like Ernest Hemingway created vivid characters who accepted their circumstances.
2. Experimentation:
- Modernist writers broke free from traditional forms and techniques. They abandoned traditional rhyme schemes and experimented with free verse. Novelists defied expectations, mixing images from the past with modern language and themes. Stream of consciousness narration became popular, exploring the inner workings of consciousness.
3. Absurdity:
- The two World Wars deeply affected writers, leading to a sense of the world becoming more absurd every day. Modernist authors depicted this absurdity in their works, reflecting the mysteriousness of life being lost in the rush of daily life.
4. Symbolism:
- Modernist writers infused objects, people, places, and events with significant meanings. They imagined a reality with multiple layers, often hidden or symbolic. Symbolism was used innovatively, leaving much to the reader's imagination and allowing for multiple interpretations.
5. Formalism:
- Modern writers viewed literature more as a craft than a flowering of creativity. They believed poems and novels were constructed from smaller parts rather than being organic processes. This belief fed into a desire for creativity and originality, leading to the use of dense vocabulary, invented words, and unique structures.
6. Diverse Variety of Themes:
- Modern poetry covers a wide range of subjects, finding inspiration in everyday life. Poets write about subjects like trains, telephones, and other commonplace interests, abandoning the idea of grand subjects for poetic composition.
7. Realism:
- Modern poetry reflects a note of realism, reacting against the romanticism of previous centuries. Poets paint life as it is, with all its beauty and ugliness, tearing down the veil between life and art.
8. Pessimism:
- There is a note of pessimism and disillusionment in modern poetry, reflecting the bleakness of human life and the tragedies of the poor. Poetry becomes autumnal in tone, expressing feelings of sadness and gloom.
9. Romantic Elements:
- Despite the dominance of realism, elements of romance continue to influence modern poetry. Certain poets maintain a spirit of romance in their works, incorporating themes of the supernatural and the mystical.
10. Nature:
- Nature remains a significant theme in modern poetry, though it is not viewed mystically. Poets portray nature's loveliness without finding spiritual meaning in it.
11. Religion and Mysticism: - Even in the scientific age, modern poets explore themes of religion and mysticism. Poets like W.B. Yeats and Francis Thompson keep alive the flame of religion and mysticism in their poetry.
12. Diction and Style:
- Modern poets prefer simple and direct expression, often using free verse and abandoning traditional meter. They prioritize sense rhythm over verse rhythm, allowing for a free movement in 20th-century English poetry.
How Modernism Arose:
The literary movement of Modernism emerged as a rejection of Romantic ideas. It was born out of profound shifts in philosophy, science, politics, and ideology following the Industrial Revolution, exacerbated by the shock of World War I and its aftermath. Modern writers:
- Break with the Past: They rejected outdated literary traditions.
- Reject Outmoded Literary Traditions: Modernists discarded aesthetic values of their predecessors.
- Reject Genteel Diction: They abandoned language that seemed too refined for an era marked by technological advancements and global conflict.
- Reject Romantic Notions: Modernists consciously challenged Romantic ideals and clichés, such as the concept of the sublime, and became skeptical of language's ability to convey coherent meaning.
Characteristics of Modern Poetry:
- Stylistic Experimentation and Disrupted Syntax: Modern poets experimented with language and disrupted traditional syntax to reflect the fragmented nature of modern experience.
- Stream of Consciousness: This narrative mode aimed to portray an individual's point of view by mimicking their thought processes, often in a loose interior monologue or in connection to their actions.
- Theme of Alienation: Characters or speakers in modern poetry often feel disconnected from people, society, or the world.
- Focus on Images: Modern poets emphasized vivid imagery to evoke emotions and convey meaning.
Syntax:
Syntax refers to how sentences and language are structured. For example, E.E. Cummings experimented heavily with syntax, as seen in his poem "anyone lived in a pretty how town."
Stream of Consciousness:
This narrative technique seeks to depict an individual's thoughts directly, without a structured narrative. T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is an example of stream of consciousness writing.
Imagism: A Subset of Modernist Poetry:
- In traditional poetry, poets describe images in detail and link them to philosophical ideas. In Imagist poetry, the image itself is the focus.
- Ezra Pound, a founder of Imagism, outlined three guidelines: direct treatment of the subject, use of only necessary words, and creation of new rhythms, departing from traditional metrical patterns.
In essence, Modernist poetry reflects the upheaval and fragmentation of the modern world through its innovative use of language, narrative techniques, and focus on vivid imagery.
Some Modern poets:
W. H. Yeats (1865-1939)
Yeats as a modern poet:
William Butler Yeats, counted among the modern poets, profoundly influenced his contemporaries and successors such as T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and W. B. Aden. While love, Irish Nationalism, and mysticism are common themes in Yeats' poetry, modernism stands as the overarching theme in his writings. Yeats embarked on his literary journey as a romantic poet but gradually transitioned into a modernist poet. As a quintessential modern poet, he reflects on the disorder and chaos of the post-war modern world, lamenting the past.
Yeats, as a modern poet, adopts an anti-rationalist attitude, evident in his fascination with occultism and mysticism. Renowned for his perception of the moral wholeness of humanity and history, Yeats is a prominent figure in modern times. He is often credited as the harbinger of modernism, deeply conscious of humanity's place in history and the soul's connection to eternity. Yeats represents the spirit of the age in his poetry, employing devices such as myth, symbolism, juxtaposition, colloquial language, and literary allusions to express the anxiety of eternity.
T. S. Eliot (1888-1965)
T. S. Eliot is regarded as one of the most important modernist poets. Both the content of his poems and his poetic style embody elements of the modernist movement that characterized his time. Modernism was seen as a rejection of traditional 19th-century norms, with artists, architects, poets, and thinkers either altering or abandoning earlier conventions in an attempt to reimagine a society in flux. Central to modernism were features such as fragmentation, free verse, contradictory allusions, and multiple points of view, diverging from Victorian and Romantic writing conventions. These modern features are prominently displayed in Eliot's works.
Two of Eliot's most notable poems, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "The Waste Land," exemplify his modernist orientations. These poems showcase fragmentation, free verse, contradictory allusions, and multiple perspectives, all hallmarks of the modernist movement. Eliot's exploration of these themes and techniques helped define modernist poetry and its departure from earlier literary traditions.
Ezra Pound (1885–1972)
Ezra Pound is widely regarded as the poet most responsible for defining and promoting a modernist aesthetic in poetry. During the early years of the twentieth century, Pound facilitated a significant exchange of work and ideas between British and American writers. He was renowned for his generosity in promoting the work of major contemporaries such as W. B. Yeats, Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, Marianne Moore, H. D., James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, and especially T. S. Eliot. Pound's influence extended beyond his own poetry; his advocacy and support played a pivotal role in shaping the modernist literary landscape, making him a central figure in the modernist movement.
Modern Novel
Introduction:
The modern age is primarily characterized by the dominance of the novel, making it the most significant and popular medium of modern times. English fiction, particularly the novel, stands as the only literary form capable of rivaling the popularity of film and radio. The publication of new English fiction by novelists today garners a response akin to the excitement generated by the release of new works by renowned authors during earlier literary periods. Poetry, which once held a supreme position in literature, has yielded ground to the novel due to its ability to meet the needs of the modern world.
Characteristics:
1. Realism:
- The modern novel embraces realism, prioritizing truth to observed facts over idealized portrayals. Modern novelists aim to capture a comprehensive view of life within their works, as demonstrated by Tolstoy's "War and Peace" and Eliot's "Middlemarch."
2. Love for Romance:
- Despite the prevalence of realism and materialism, there exists a notable inclination towards the criticism of material values and a resurgence of interest in romance, sex, and adventure. This trend is highlighted by novelists like Virginia Woolf, Samuel Butler, Huxley, and Forester, who critique modern life and its focus on materialism.
3. Frankness in Sexual Matters:
- The Georgian Period witnesses a departure from Victorian ideals of sexuality, with modern novelists embracing a frank depiction of sex and human passions. Writers like D.H. Lawrence explore sexual relationships, shifting the novel's focus from the gentility-morality dynamic to the relationship between loneliness and love.
4. Stream of Consciousness Technique:
- The stream of consciousness technique revolutionizes narrative art by providing an escape from the constraints of linear time. Pioneered by French novelist Edouard Dujardin and popularized by psychologist William James, this technique transforms narrative structure.
5. Novel of Ideas:
- Early 20th-century English fiction primarily revolves around the discussion of societal issues. The Edwardian novelists, such as H.G. Wells, Galsworthy, and Arnold Bennett, focus on social problems, using the novel as a platform for social commentary and reform.
In summary, the modern novel is characterized by its embrace of realism, resurgence of romance, frankness in sexual matters, utilization of stream of consciousness technique, and emphasis on discussing societal issues. These characteristics define the modern novel and distinguish it from earlier literary forms.
Thank you
Resources:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "William Butler Yeats". Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 Apr. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Butler-Yeats. Accessed 25 April 2024.
Gardner, Helen , Tate, Allen and Davies, Hugh Alistair. "T.S. Eliot". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/T-S-Eliot. Accessed 25 April 2024.
Jeffares, A. Norman. “Yeats as Modern Poet.” Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature, vol. 2, no. 4, 1969, pp. 53–58. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24775724. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Lewisohn, Ludwig. “The Modern Novel.” The Sewanee Review, vol. 17, no. 4, 1909, pp. 458–74. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27532320. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
maryam, Maryam. “Modern Age (1900-1960).” Wikipedia, https://www.academia.edu/44226284/Modern_Age_1900_1960_. Accessed 25 April 2024.
Stock, Noel. "Ezra Pound". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ezra-Pound. Accessed 25 April 2024.
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