1. The Modern Age I had a world, and it slipped away from me. War blew up more than the bodies of men...It blew ideas away. Sherwood Anderson

2. Definition  A literary style emphasizing experimental prose and disillusionment with the American dream. World War I brought about this disillusionment. Writers of this era refer to themselves as “the lost generation.”

3. Characteristics of Modernism  Emphasis on bold experimentation in style and form, reflecting the fragmentation of society.  Rejection of traditional themes and subjects.  Loss of faith and disillusionment in the “American Dream.”

4. Characteristics Continued  Rejection of the ideal, perfect hero in favor of a hero who is flawed and disillusioned but shows “grace under pressure.”  Interest in the random workings of the human mind, sometimes expressed through new narrative techniques such as “stream of consciousness.”

5. Katherine Anne Porter 1890-1980  Writes about southern women caught in a web of custom and obligation.  Uses stream of consciousness.  “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”

6. Robert Frost 1874-1963  Creates simple, natural poetry.  Captured the lies of New Englanders.  Focuses on alienation.  “Mending Wall”, “Out, out-”, “Death of a Hired Man”

7. Ernest Hemingway 1899-1961  War experience greatly influenced his work.  Author and Adventurer  Originates the modern, disillusioned hero.  Employs a clipped, journalistic style.  “The End of Something”

8. F. Scott Fitzgerald 1896-1940  His destructive life directly influences his work.  Names the 1920’s “the Jazz Age.”  The Great Gatsby and “Winter Dreams”

9. T. S. Eliot 1888-1965  Breaks from the poetic tradition and celebrated the individual living in modern city life.  Uses elevated diction and classical allusions.  “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”