1 / 8

Modernism

Modernism. 1915-1950. The Great War (WW1). WW1 (1914-1918) had profound effect on world. 65 million military involved 8-10 million died; 115,000 Americans 6-7 million civilians died Changed American voice At one time, American voice was brash and youthful, but mostly unoriginal

floria
Télécharger la présentation

Modernism

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Modernism 1915-1950

  2. The Great War (WW1) • WW1 (1914-1918) had profound effect on world. • 65 million military involved • 8-10 million died; 115,000 Americans • 6-7 million civilians died • Changed American voice • At one time, American voice was brash and youthful, but mostly unoriginal • After WW1, voice became less optimistic, aware of limitations. Led to more distinctive voice, though.

  3. Country seemed to lose innocence • Idealism turned to cynicism • Writers began question authority and tradition of country • War brought social changes • Morally • Short skirts, bobbed, hair, slang expressions • Connection to past deteriorating

  4. The American Dream:People Begin to Wake Up • Depression brought suffering to millions • American writers disillusioned; feeling spiritually empty; began to reject traditional themes and styles • American Dream • 1. Admiration of America as New Eden; land of beauty, bounty, unlimited promise • 2. Optimism; faith in progress. “It’s just around the corner” idea • 3. Importance and ulimate triumph of individual (think Emerson).

  5. A Break from New England • Writers from South, Midwest, West arise • Stream of consciousness technique--moment-by-moment flow (v. chronological order) • Intellectual trends • Marxism: Capitalism is bad; get rid of classes and make everyone equal. • Psychoanalysis: Man is influenced by desire of the unconscious thought; questions level of “free will” man has

  6. The Jazz Age • Prohibition: No more booze. • Led to the bootlegger, the speakeasy, the cocktail, gangsters • And Jazz Music • Ernest Hemingway • Very influential writer; wrote in “plain style” • Created new American hero—courageous, cool, but disillusioned • The Roaring Twenties saw women in new roles • Edna St. Vincent Millay was poet and “wild woman” • 1920 women won right to vote

  7. Poetry in the Modern • Emily Dickinson and Whitman are dead; poetry fizzling. • T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound helped revive it. Shortly after, crashing wave of poetry emerged. • The Harlem Renaissance • Awesome explosion of art from New York (and surrounding areas) • Rise of African American poetry and literature • Focused on the unique perspective of African American experience • Introduced ‘ghetto speech’ and jazz rhythms and blues into verse

  8. The American Dream Revised • Even though Modernists rejected Emerson’s optimism, some ideas remained. • America has potential • Self-Reliance is important • Modernists still trying to answer questions such as Who are we? Where are we going? What values should guide us there?

More Related