Modernism By Michael Baicker

The Developing Movement Modernism is said to have originated during the beginning of the 20 th Century, and lasted through According to Virginia Woolfe, 1910 was the year when “human nature underwent a fundamental change.” Grew as a result of a series of cultural shocks to Western civilization World War I and World War II Expanding urban areas Technological and scientific advances Most prevalent in America and Europe

New Poetic Visions Modernism abandoned the Romantic and Victorian obsession with nature and structure. Instead, it focused on the inner self and one’s stream of consciousness. Modernists viewed the world through a cynical lens – decay and alienation of the individual Society depicted as impersonal, capitalist, and antagonistic to artists Most readily associated with a break from tradition Many modernists felt that the old forms of poetry were ill-suited to describe the rapidly changing industrial world. Viewed World Wars as proof that the 19 th Century and its literary styles were left in the past.

New Poetic Visions Thus, Modernists sought to revise and alter traditional form to reflect this idea of a new world. Unlike many poetic movements, this break from tradition was readily acknowledged and done purposefully. Rather than follow conventional rhyme scheme and rhythm, poems began to shift into free verse, first-person narratives with significant breaks, personal interjections, and delineation.

Notable Style and Form Stream of Consciousness Writing Often, modernist poetry is written in the first-person in order to convey the poet’s thoughts. This type of poetry is more difficult to interpret than the traditional story-telling approach as it requires that the reader insert more of their personal interpretation. Irony and Satire Modernists heavily satire the “accepted” political and social norms with which they disagree. They often mock the unacknowledged faults within a society. Free Verse – The Form of No Form Most modern poetry does not contain any consistent meter, rhyme scheme, or pattern. Or when it does, they are intermingled and switch often within the poem. Modernists went a step further in creating their own words, writing in different sizes, and using copious amounts of spacing for their poetry. See almost every work by E.E. Cummings

Recurring Content and Themes Rejection of society and history Alienation of the individual, loneliness Disillusionment Rejection of social norms, traditional thought, conservative opinion, religion, and war. Frequent fragmentation. Desire to express poet’s views and opinions rather than appeal to the popular audience. Technological advances of the late 19 th and early 20 th Centuries

How to Identify A Poem As Modern Free verse First-person narrative Open form Fragmented narrative Conceit, Extended Metaphor, any connection which seems unconventional. Multiple points of view

E.E. Cummings Known for his lack of punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and form. Wrote some poems out phonetically – See ygUDuh, page 80 of the Henderson Binder Used incorrect syntax in order to stimulate deeper thinking about the ideas he was attempting to express. Created his own words – See in Just However, many of his poems were very traditional sonnets with slight modern twists. October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962

T.S. Eliot Took some inspiration from the past to return to longer, intellectual, allusive poems while maintaining the modern style. Naturally transitions between formal verse and conversational writing. Often uses ironies to mask secondary meanings. Examples: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land September 26, 1888 – January 4, 1965

Ezra Pound Arguably one of the founders of the Modernist movement. Work began by promoting Imagism, a movement which focused on clear, articulate style. Earlier work borrowed from the styles of Chinese and Japanese poetry. Changed the traditional structure of poetic language in order to change his reader’s interpretations. Tried to avoid gratuitous descriptions using adjectives. Instead wanted the most direct treatment of his subject. Later joined the Fascist Party, supported Mussolini and Hitler in WWII, and was incarcerated in a mental hospital for 12 years. October 30, 1885 – November 1, 1972

rpophessagr by e.e. cummings