5/10: Turn your drafts in to my desk NOW or never. (You will get them back to use at the end of the period) Turn your drafts in to my desk NOW or never. (You will get them back to use at the end of the period) Grab a handout from the front  DO NOT keep it or write on it. Grab a handout from the front  DO NOT keep it or write on it. Label notebook pages: Label notebook pages: 5/10: 24L-24R: Modern Poetry & SOAPS Analysis

Modern Poetry

Famous Modern Poets T.S. Eliote.e. cummings Ezra PoundWallace Stevens Marianne Moore Edgar Lee Masters

Characteristics of Romantic Poetry: mid to late 1800’s mid to late 1800’s Consciously poetic, dealt with themes of nature, emotions and personal/artistic feelings Consciously poetic, dealt with themes of nature, emotions and personal/artistic feelings Romantic poetry had very clear meter and rhyme Romantic poetry had very clear meter and rhyme Typically on the longer side with many detailed descriptions Typically on the longer side with many detailed descriptions William Wordsworth defined good poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” and must be composed by a man “possessed of more than usual organic sensibility [who has] also thought long and deeply.” William Wordsworth defined good poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” and must be composed by a man “possessed of more than usual organic sensibility [who has] also thought long and deeply.”

Example: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1834) The Rime of the Ancient Mariner The Rime of the Ancient Mariner The Rime of the Ancient Mariner The Rime of the Ancient Mariner How a Ship having passed the Line was driven by storms to the cold Country towards the South Pole; and how from thence she made her course to the tropical Latitude of the Great Pacific Ocean; and of the strange things that befell; and in what manner the Ancyent Marinere came back to his own Country. How a Ship having passed the Line was driven by storms to the cold Country towards the South Pole; and how from thence she made her course to the tropical Latitude of the Great Pacific Ocean; and of the strange things that befell; and in what manner the Ancyent Marinere came back to his own Country.

Characteristics of Modernist Poetry Insisted upon breaking the Romantic traditions Insisted upon breaking the Romantic traditions Essential for Modernist poets to move away from merely personal inspiration to social commentary and statements that poetry could make about the world Essential for Modernist poets to move away from merely personal inspiration to social commentary and statements that poetry could make about the world Much of the poetry of the time was considered to be “confessional,” especially after WWII. Much of the poetry of the time was considered to be “confessional,” especially after WWII. Relies heavily on symbolism and implied meaning or ambiguities Relies heavily on symbolism and implied meaning or ambiguities Very specific word choices were made for specific impact on the reader Very specific word choices were made for specific impact on the reader Stylistic experimentation Stylistic experimentation Themes focused on disconnection of people and/or society/the world Themes focused on disconnection of people and/or society/the world

Literary Modernism’s most significant feature is: Experimentation The phrase “make it new,” attributed to Ezra Pound, became a rallying cry for writers who participated in this cultural movement Style / Structure Subject Matter

Example: E.E. Cummings (1923) raise the shade will youse dearie? rain wouldn't that get yer goat but we don't care do we dearie we should worry about the rain huhdearie?yknowi'm sorry for awl the poor girls that gets up god knows when every day of their lives aint you, oo-oo. dearie not so hard dear you're killing me

The Style of Literary Modernism. Modernism’s literary forms are innovative and, often, challenging. Writers were willing to disrupt traditional notions of order, sequence, and unity. They risked a certain amount of incoherence for the sake of experimentation. * Instead of predictable rhymes and forms, Modern poetry is sometimes chaotic, as if to mirror the randomness of modern life and to challenge the reader’s notion of order.

Themes of Modernist Poetry Alienation Existentialism Primitivism The Harlem Renaissance

Alienation / Dislocation During the Modern period, many young Americans felt like outsiders within their own culture. It was difficult for them to come to terms with the unnecessary suffering and enormous loss of life caused by war. Many artists were also troubled by the racism and sexism that was prevalent in American culture. This helps explain why many Modernists experimented with their own styles, rather than tap into the traditional literary forms of their culture. The pervasive sense of alienation that many writers felt led them to leave the U.S. and live in “voluntary exile” in England and Europe.

Alienation “You are all a lost generation.” - Gertrude Stein (quoted by Ernest Hemingway as an epigraph to his 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises)

Existentialism Many modernists rejected traditional philosophical and religious systems of belief in favor of Existentialism, which suggests a meaningless, chaotic, Godless world. Existentialists believe that the individual has the sole responsibility for giving his/her own life meaning and living life passionately and sincerely, in spite of many obstacles and distractions including despair, angst, absurdity, boredom, and death.

Primitivism Modernists were inspired by Native American and African American art. The obsession with so-called “primitive” material and attitudes was fueled by an exploding interest in Freudian and Jungian psychology. Both Freud and Jung discussed “hidden,” subconscious motives, and the “primitive” appeared to offer a setting to explore their theories of psychology and sexuality. The “primitive” was appealing because it seemed to represent a more simple world unaffected by the constraints of modernity.

Harlem Renaissance During the 1920s, Harlem – an area in upper Manhattan, New York -- became the national center of African American culture: theater, music, dance, and literature. The Harlem Renaissance refers to the period just after WWI to the Depression when African American writers produced a tremendous amount of literary work. Writers of the Harlem Renaissance express disillusionment with America and its promises. Their disappointment was fueled by the continued racial strife and outbursts of prejudice and violence.

Harlem Renaissance Poetry Langston Hughes = most famous of the Harlem Renaissance poets. Langston Hughes = most famous of the Harlem Renaissance poets. Others include: Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, & Sterling A. Brown, Others include: Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, & Sterling A. Brown, Minstrel Man by Langston Hughes Because my mouth Is wide with laughter And my throat Is deep with song, You did not think I suffer after I've held my pain So long. Because my mouth Is wide with laughter You do not hear My inner cry: Because my feet Are gay with dancing, You do not know I die.

In conclusion, Modernism was a massive movement that included a broad range of authors, styles, and themes. It was a revolt against the conservative values of Romanticism. Modernism underscored the abstract, unconventional, largely uncertain ethic brought on by rapidly changing technology and dramatic cultural shifts. Due to the richness of the art and literature produced during this time, it is sometimes referred to as the 20 th Century Renaissance. Due to the richness of the art and literature produced during this period, it is often referred to as the Twentieth Century Renaissance.

Writing Styles of Modernist Poetry Stream of Consciousness Free form structure or no structure Syntax Semantics Symbolism

Stream of Consciousness stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that seeks to portray an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions. stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that seeks to portray an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions. T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is an example of the use of stream of consciousness. T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is an example of the use of stream of consciousness.

Free Form or No Structure Modernist poetry rejected all previous Romantic Era forms (like sonnets) Modernist poetry rejected all previous Romantic Era forms (like sonnets) Modernist poems often have no set structure, no set rhyme patterns, and no consistency Modernist poems often have no set structure, no set rhyme patterns, and no consistency

Syntax A: The way in which words are put together to form constituents (like phrases or clauses) A: The way in which words are put together to form constituents (like phrases or clauses) B: the part of grammar dealing with this. B: the part of grammar dealing with this. C: the order of words C: the order of words e.e. cummings experimented heavily with syntax. One example of this is his poem “anyone lived in a pretty how town.” e.e. cummings experimented heavily with syntax. One example of this is his poem “anyone lived in a pretty how town.” “anyone lived in a pretty how town (with up so floating many bells down) spring summer autumn winter he sang his didn't he danced his did”

Semantics The study or science of word meanings in different contexts The study or science of word meanings in different contexts

Symbolism The use of objects, people, places and actions that have meanings in and of themselves and that also stand for some abstract idea The use of objects, people, places and actions that have meanings in and of themselves and that also stand for some abstract idea Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” is loaded with symbolism. Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” is loaded with symbolism.

Modern Poetry Examples Advice to a Girl by Sara Teasdale No one worth possessing Can be quite possessed; Lay that on your heart, My young angry dear; This truth, this hard and precious stone, Lay it on your hot cheek, Let it hide your tear. Hold it like a crystal When you are alone And gaze in the depths of the icy stone. Long, look long and you will be blessed: No one worth possessing Can be quite possessed. In A Station Of The Metro by Ezra Pound The apparition of these faces in the crowd: Petals on a wet, black bough.