20 th Century Literature

1. 20th Century Literature 1901-Present

2. World War I • 1914-1918 • Britain and its allies France, Russia, and (eventually) America fought against Germany and Austria-Hungary. • First modern war

3. 1939-1945 Allies: Britain, France, Soviet Union, USA Axis: Germany, Japan, Italy Soviet Union and USA join the war late. When France fell to Germany early in the war, Britain fought alone. World War II

4. World War II (continued) • Led by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Britain survived the Blitz—Hitler’s attempt to destroy Britain through bombing. The Royal Air Force (RAF) survived Hitler’s attempt to destroy it with the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). • If Britain hadn’t held on during this early stage of the war, it is likely Hitler would not have been defeated.

5. Post-War • After 2 World Wars, the British empire crumbled; its colonies gradually gained their independence. • Among the people, there was an increasing feeling of disconnectedness and disillusionment.

6. Modernism—a type of literature which consists of fragments of often unrelated ideas. It is very chaotic and heavily symbolic (basically, the written version of modern art). Literature

7. Some important modern British writers include the following: William Butler Yeats—Irish poet George Orwell—1984 and Animal Farm Lit. (continued)