Twentieth Century Modernism

Conflicts and the Loss of Empire Britain enjoyed a strong sense of national pride and identity during the reign of Queen Victoria. After ruling for 63 years, Queen Victoria dies and her son Edward VII becomes the new king in 1901, heralding a new era of change and loss for Britain Edward VII dies 9 years after becoming king leaving his son, George V as the new king.

World War I and Its Effects 1914-Britain viewed Germany’s invasion of Belgium as a threat and declared war. 750,000 young British men were killed during WWI, wiping out an entire generation The Irish nationalists fought for independence from Britain without success increasing the enmity between the British and the Irish The Treaty of Versailles –settled WWI and led to an economic collapse in Germany, paving the way for Hitler.

The Great Depression-started with the US stock market crash in World trade slumped, prices fell, credit dried up, and many countries protected their domestic market by taxing foreign imports. The value of British exports halved, plunging its industrial areas into poverty: by the end of 1930, unemployment more than doubled to 20 per cent (cite).

World War II Adolf Hitler, head of the National Socialist Party Germans Workers Party (Nazi) gains power on a platform of rabid nationalism and vengeance. “The Blitz”- from the German word blizkreig refers to the German bombing of London during WWI After Hitler invades Poland, Britain and France declare war The United States joins the war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the tide turns against the aggressors with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ending WWII in 1945.

Loss of the Empire After suffering devastating losses. England could not afford to maintain all of its colonies and rebuild and repair the economy within Britain. Eventually, England’s former colonies become independent countries The Indian subcontinent led the transition to independence dividing into two independent nations, India and Pakistan The British lost control of the Suez Canal in Egypt which led to a successive decolonization of its colonies throughout the world.

Rupert Brooke Rubert Brooke ( ) was a highly intelligent young man, considered good looking and charming. Before WWI, he had already established himself as a poet. He joined the Royal Navy in 1914, but died a year later due to blood poisoning. Brooke’s war sonnets are remembered as a symbol of the tremendous loss of youth that England suffered in WWI.

Wilfred Owens Wilfred Own ( ) studied at the London Academy and joined the army in He was wounded 3 times in battle and won a medal for outstanding bravery in Owen was unknown as a poet until his friend, the poet Siegfried Sassoon published his work, Poems in 1920.

Siegfried Sassoon Siegfried Sassoon ( ) was born into a wealthy family in Kent, England. He published poetry while still in his twenties. In 1914, he joined the army and showed such reckless courage that he became known as “Mad Jack.” After two years of war in the trenches, Sassoon’s attitude towards war changed and he spoke against the war. His works include poems starkly realistic, about the agonies of war.

T.S. Eliot T.S. Eliot ( ) was the most famous English poet of his time. From the 1920’s on, he was a leader of the artistic movement called Modernism. Born Thomas Sterns Eliot, in Missouri, he was educated at Harvard University and went on to study at Oxford University in England and at the Sorbonne in Paris. Eliot portrayed the modern world as one of fragmented experience and despair. Eliot may have been responding to WWI, an event that damaged the faith of many.

William Butler Yeats Irish poet, William Butler Yeats ( ) won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in Yeats is regarded as one of the finest poets of the century. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Yeats was immersed in the mythology and legends of Ireland. Yeats earliest poems show French Symbolist influences, as well as an affinity for Pre-Raphaelites. On his seventieth birthday, Yeats was hailed by his nation as the greatest living Irishman.

D. H. Lawrence D.H. Lawrence ( ) was born in Nottinghamshire, the son of illiterate parents. His literary achievements were overshadowed by controversy over his unorthodox positions of politics and morality. Sons and Lovers was his first major novel. Two years later, Lawrence published The Rainbow, which was banned in Britain.

Virginia Wolfe Virginia Wolfe ( ) was one of the early practitioners of Modernism and was instrumental in revolutionizing modern fiction. Abandoning traditional plot and structure in fiction, she was one of the pioneers of the stream of consciousness technique. The novel Jacob’s Room established her as one of the leading writers of Modernism.

Dylan Thomas Dylan Thomas ( ) was born in southwest Wales. His father was an English teacher and helped develop Dylan’s love of poetry. Before turning twenty, he had already written many of his well-known works. His best known works include the play, Under Milkwood and his memoir “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.”

Graham Greene Graham Greene ( ) was a religious convert who wrote works exploring pain, fear, despair and alienation. The son of a school-master, Greene was born in Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire. He converted to Roman Catholicism after studying at Oxford University. His most famous works include Orient Express, Brighton Rock, and The Power and the Glory.

George Orwell George Orwell ( ) was born Eric Blair in colonial India, was educated in England, and then joined the Imperial police in Burma. Orwell was keenly aware of the inequities of imperialism. After five years as an officer, Orwell resigned, disillusioned with the oppression of colonialism. His first novel, Burmese Days describes these bitter years. “Shooting an Elephant” is one of his most famous essays based on his experience from this period.