Literary Modernism

Tenets of Literary Modernism Nonlinearity of plot or sequence (think Inception ) Irony and satire: critique of society Voices and the idea of stream of consciousness Allusions

Modernism Modernist literature developed out of a sense that the art forms of the late 19 th Century were inadequate to describe the condition on Europe after WWI Modernism is a rejection of Realism Realism: science will save the world, notion of science and social determinism is idealized. Modernism: science explains everything, which made the idea of God useless. Preoccupation with the meaning and purpose of existence. In search of new values On other words, modernism is a rejection of tradition and a hostile attitude toward the past.

Modernism WW1 is first instance of mass destruction Major technological change Urban cities grow Grief over loss of past; fear of eroding traditions

Literature produced between the end of WWI and beginning of WWII Response to destruction and disruption caused by WWI Which is why modernist literature and art is confusing and may not make sense at first read Modernism first took place in the Jazz age/roaring twenties, a time of prohibition, intolerance, flappers, gangsters, and crime 18 th Amendment: illegal to manufacture alcohol= create network of criminal organization (ex: Gatsby) Literary Modernism

The Lost Generation Circle of writers who moved to culturally vibrant cities of Europe after WWI looking for freedom of thought and action Realistic, rebellious, wrote what they wanted and fought censorship for profanity and sexuality Created literature which appropriately reflect modern life after WWI One of the Lost Generation writers: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Modernism: Fitzgerald Lived a wild and tragic lifestyle during the 1920’s, and this is realistically reflected in his writings. Narrator, Nick, is not too reliable Fails to remember parts of story because he was drunk We (reader) only know about Gatsby by what Nick tells us Story is told in fragments, not chronological

Dr. T.J. Eckleberg Faded optometrist billboard of two large eyes looking over everthing that happens symbolizes how God faded from society and American lacked morals in the 1920’s

American Dream Theme of the loss of the American Dream; a loss of everything people believed in Man lost faith in God, and started believing in himself Lack of morals = pursuit of money Gatsby’s quest for the American dream is fulfilled, however everything is lost when Daisy chooses Tom Loss of dream, love, and illusions

Modernism: Women Daisy and Jordan dress like flappers Sexual liberation: having an affair Jordan: freedom and power with status as professional golfer Jazz age of music: men and women dancing intimately Gatsby’s parties are described as women and men dancing and drinking, the opposite of conservative ideals

Harlem Renaissance African American culture blossomed during Reconceptualize blacks apart from white stereotypes Sought to break gfree from Victorian moral values and bourgeois shame about aspects of their lives that may reifnorce racist beliefs This movement laid the ground work for African American literature Not confined to Harlem, but symbolic capital of cultural awakening

Helped usher in Civil Rights movement of late 1940’s and early 1950’s. Great migration of African Americans from rural to urban spaces Jazz music, African American art, literature represented cultural shift Tom talk about the book “Rise of the Colored Empires”