Essay on Modernism in Literature - 1532 Words

The turn of the 20th century conveyed revolution in psychological, social, and philosophical thought. It was time for something neoteric. It was time to break out of the mundane tradition. This time of revolution conceded men, such as Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud, to rise to fame with their radical and cutting edge theories. Also, women were exasperated of their modeled roles in society. They sought to be independent, they longed to have the ability to vote, and most of all, they wanted legal equality. This time period also brought the renewal of European expansion. With new motivations, such as economic motivations, social imperialism, and the new theories of racial superiority, the British empire began concentrating on†¦show more content†¦The space in between the front lines of the defenders and the attackers was known as No Man’s Land. (Trench Warfare) Thousands of battle hardened soldiers would put their lives on the line by running into this no m ans land, just to win a few feet in the battle of the frontline. This led to hundreds of thousands of casualties just to gain two or three feet on the battlefield. There is no better picture of this theory of irrational creatures than in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, which was published in 1902. (Heart of Darkness) This novella is the story of a man, Marlow, who gathers a crew of sailors to journey down to the Congo, in British controlled Africa. As Marlow and his men begin the adventure down the river, they are soon given a mission to capture Mr. Kurtz, the best ivory extractor in all of Africa. The problem is, Kurtz has gone crazy, and his methods have gone tribal. The corporation believes he has gone insane. Its not until Marlow finally gets to Kurtz through a very trying journey, that he realizes Kurtzs actions are like the rest of ours, except Kurtz was tired of hiding behind civilization. Marlow realizes that we are all evil and we are all corrupt, but we attempt to hide it with civilization. The horror, the horror (Conrad) are Kurtz last words he utters to Marlow before he dies. Kurtz realizes the life of evil he has lived, theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Modernism at Its Finest in Literature756 Words   |  4 PagesModernism at Its Finest In the beginning of the twentieth century, literature changed and focused on breaking away from the typical and predicate patterns of normal literature. Poets at this time took full advantage and stretched the idea of the mind’s conscience on how the world, mind, and language interact and contradict. Many authors, such as Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, and Twain, used the pain and anguish in first hand experiences to create and depict a new type of literature, modernism. In thisRead MoreThemes of Modernism859 Words   |  4 PagesThemes of Modernism The term Modernism refers to the shift in values and cultural awareness that appeared in the art and literature of the post- World War One period. Modernism showed that there had been a change since the previous Victorian period. The Victorian era and its literature showed a very optimistic outlook on life, but the new era of Modernism rejected this idea and chose to portray life to be extremely pessimistic. Many of the Modern writers showed the world and society to be in anRead MoreThe Era Of Modernism : What People Do People Perceive Through Their Perceptions?945 Words   |  4 Pagesillustrating† (Modernism). Just as Jackson Pollock had been saying, modern art has a peculiar way of being perceived. 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With each change in period, author s would want to do something different than the previous period due to the fact of theRead More Modernism Essay801 Words   |  4 PagesModernism â€Å"An inclination to subjective distortion to point up the evanescence of the social world of the nineteenth century bourgeoisie.† -Barth, â€Å"Literature of Replenishment† (www.iath.virginia.edu/elab/hfl0255.html) Modernism was rebellion against not only the repressive principles of the Victorian era but also the emergence of the fast-changing, materialistic corporate society. The period precedingRead MorePostmodernism And The Future Of Literature1214 Words   |  5 PagesPostmodernism and the Future of Literature During the 19th and early 20th, Western world experienced numerous historical events and influential changes, including the Word Wars and technological revolutions. These phenomenons affected the society at large, including in the aspect of art and literature. Literary historians often classified literature from late 19th century until the end of World War II as modernism and literature after World War II as postmodernism. Although there are no explicitRead MoreEssay Modernism versus Modernismo1057 Words   |  5 PagesModernism versus Modernismo Both Modernism and Modernismo were movements around the turn of the 20th century which caused cultural upheaval and renovation in times where the society was, or needed to be, changing. Modernism took place throughout Europe and in the United States, while Modernismo was a Latin American movement. The two movements share several general characteristics, but were, without a doubt, two separate and distinct movements, and should not be confused. Therefore, it is usefulRead MoreThe Themes Of Cultural And Spiritual Crisis940 Words   |  4 Pagescrisis fragmentation by T.S Eliot Modernism is a critical topic that has not only engulfed the contemporary literary discussion, but has attracted interest in the field of poetry. It therefore explains the critical relationship among modernism, culture and spiritual desires of the society. One of such attraction has not spared the contribution by Eliot. The poem by Eliot is characterized by a lot of themes that define and demonstrate elements of modernism. The nature of the art that was producedRead MoreThe Modernist Movement And Its Influence On Art1688 Words   |  7 Pagescentury and lasted until around 1945.  One of the factors that helped shaped Modernism was the development of modern industrial societies as well as the rapid growth of cities.  Modernists rejected Enlightenment thinking and some even rejected certain religious beliefs.  One characteristic,  possibly the most important one,  of Modernism was the idea of self-consciousness  (Farah).  The Modernist movement would influence the liter ature written such as novels and poetry and would also have an influence on artRead MoreEssay on Difference of Modernism and Post Modernism931 Words   |  4 Pages Modernism and Post Modernism Have you ever wondered what the differences are between the modernism and post modernism? It seems like it would be easy to describe what they are by the words and what they are usually associated with. Yet, it’s actually a lot different then your thinking. Modernism is the movement in visual arts, music, literature, and drama, which rejected the old Victorian standards of how art should be made, consumed, and what it should mean. Modernists want the absolute truth