1. Essential Question: What are the impacts of major historical events on the literature, language, and lifestyle of the Modern/Contemporary Era?

2. Modern/Contemporary Literature (1901-PRESENT)

3. Early 20th Century = Progress!
Rejection of traditional Victorian views and values
More rights and democratic freedoms
Expansion of British power over the rest of the world
Science, technology, and medicine helped improve daily lives for millions
Rise in living conditions and average wages
Rise in literacy and education
Symbol of British and world progress and idealism: The Titanic
“Roaring 20’s” – wealth, parties, optimism
It’ 1912 and we’re doing awesome!

4. April 14/15, 1912: Sinking of the Titanic

5. WWI: “The War to End All Wars”
England went in with sense of patriotism and sense of duty/honor - anticipated glory of past conflicts
60,000 young Brits killed on first day of Battle of the Somme (July 1, 1916)
300,000 young Brits killed, wounded, or frozen to death at the Battle of Ypres (July-Nov, 1917)
An entire generation of young Englishmen devastated, nearly wiped out

6. WWI: Trench Warfare Technological developments are good, right?
Machine gun (majority of Brits killed at Somme died by machine gun)
Poison gas (at least 100,000 died during WWI due to chemical weapons)
Traditional method of large forces marching against other large forces no longer worked  trench war
WWI also saw the development of the airplane, tank, submarine, and flamethrower as weapons of war

7. Trench Poets
Soldiers, medics, photographers all came back from WWI with a new understanding of what war really is:
Dismissed the past ideas about the “glory” of war
Used verse and powerful imagery and figurative language to bring realism of experiences to readers
More cynical about warfare
Two most well-known British trench poets:
Wilfred Owen (pg.928)
Siegfried Sassoon (pg. 925)

8. Responses to War and Colonialism
WWI poets were not original in form or style, but in ideas.
War poetry went from enthusiastic patriotism to disillusionment and despair.
Conventional patriotism and romantic notions of bravery were challenged.
Trench poets: common motifs/ideas
For the first time, war was vilified, not glorified.
Loss of innocence
Degradation of body and soul

9. The “Irish Question”
The Irish never fully accepted British rule (ongoing problem).
Some fought for Britain during WWI, some rebelled.
Harsh British response increased support for the Irish nationalists.
Split Ireland into two self-governing areas.
No lasting peace or independence in Northern Ireland.

10. Irish Literary Renaissance
James Joyce—one of greatest modern writers—struggled to get his work recognized.
Became very important
Cultural side of Irish nationalism; trying to revive traditional life lost in the wake of the potato famine
Few people spoke Gaelic, so writers struggled to create authentic Irish literature in English

11. WWII
Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Communist Russia/Soviet Union all represented two modern philosophies taken to their most-feared extremes:
Marx
Darwin
Charles Darwin’s “Darwinism” from Origin of Species – “survival of the fittest”
Karl Marx’s Das Kapital - communism and socialism / anti-capitalism, anti-Democracy

12. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.
WWII
During WWII, Britain lost over 300,000 soldiers and over 60,000 civilians
Britain fought in France, Europe, and the Middle East – but the Nazis also bombed London
Massive damages inflicted to military empire and at home
At the end of the war, Britain and Allied Powers find out the extent of Hitler’s Holocaust of the Jews
Winston
Churchill

14. London during The Blitz

15. Postwar Writers
After WWII, writers struggled to come to terms with their changing world.
Artists and writers were experimenting with form and content, rejecting traditional forms.
Challenging convictions of Victorian writers.
Shift to postmodernism: dismantling literature to look at its inner workings.
Waiting for Godot has no action at all.

16. The Challenge of Modernism
Early 20th century was a time of uncertainty.
Old empires fallen or changing
Population increase led to loss of community
Art needed to reject old versions of reality.
Create its own values
Connect disjointed pieces of human experience

17. The Challenge of Modernism
Writers were influenced by painters and musicians
Character and plot were being questioned
Radical new thinking in science, psychology, and economics impacted society and literature.
Freud showed that a persons’ character is not easily understood

18. The Challenge of Modernism
Chronological plot was questioned: past, present, and future flow together continuously.
Stream-of-consciousness: the reader is inside the character’s mind. No need for important events.
James Joyce and Virginia Woolf wrote novels taking place in one day.

19. The Challenge of Modernism
New focuses in writing: people in isolation, human relationships, common strengths and vulnerabilities
Writers shared a sense of alienation from their own society.
Initial audience was limited to an elite minority: avante garde
New poetry: intellectually challenging, ironic, disquieting
Bloomsbury group: influential, center of avante garde

20. Cynicism of 20th Century
Just as humanity reached the 20th century and looked poised to create a world based around peace, technology, democracy, and seek to eliminate social ills like hunger…
…is the exact same era where we kill more human beings in two wars than the rest of human history combined, while the legacy of colonialism/imperialism by Europe leaves Africa and parts of Asia and the Middle East in shambles.
In midst of all this science/technology march forward for sake of peace, by creating most destructive weapon ever --- then using it to end war by killing over 100,000 Japanese civilians  leading to the Cold War
20th Century – new era of doubt, cynicism, and fear

21. Decline of England as a World Power
During the late 1800s, England lost control of colonies in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand
After World War II, Britain was recovering from the war and was in massive debt
Loss of India
Loss of colonies in the Middle East and Africa

22. Rise & Fall of the British Empire

23. The Legacy of Empire
Writers struggle with issues from colonial past.
Social problems, struggle for peace, dual heritage
Multicultural perspectives are apparent in contemporary literature.
Diversity stems from Britain's loss of territories and the independence of their colonies. Impacts social system and economy.

24. 20th Century British Literature
WWI Trench Poets – describe realities of war and dismissive of “glory” of war
More cynicism/pessimism – some would say “realism”
More satire and dark humor
More criticisms of the traditional elite and powerful; more political writing
More open writing about sexual and gender issues
More global/international diversity from authors who traveled abroad and were from former British colonies
Influenced by new thinking in science (technology) and politics.
Radical new thinking in science, psychology, and economics impacted society and literature.

25. 20th Century British Literature
Dystopian literature – novels and stories about the worst future imaginable, where everything that could be wrong about society is wrong. “Dystopia” the opposite of “utopia” (a perfect society).
1984 by George Orwell
Term “Orwellian” - an adjective to describe a government or conditions which feature excessive government control and invasion and loss of personal privacy and individual rights
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

26. Influential 20th Century British Authors
James Joyce
Virginia Woolf
Aldous
Huxley
Agatha
Christie
J.R.R. Tolkien
Neil Gaiman
J.K. Rowling
Ian Fleming

27. 20th Century British Monarchs

28. Held the title Prince of Wales longer than anyone in history George V
Victoria
( )
Ruled
Longest-ruling
British Monarch
Edward VII
( )
Ruled
Held the title Prince of
Wales longer than anyone
in history
George V
( )
Ruled
Guided England
through World War I

29. Speech; symbol of national pride during WWII Edward VIII (1894-1972)
George VI
( )
Ruled
Subject of The King’s
Speech; symbol of national
pride during WWII
Edward VIII
( )
Ruled 1936
Abdicated the throne
to marry his
American mistress,
Wallis Simpson
Elizabeth II
(b. 1926)
Ruling 1952-Present
Longest reigning monarch
Just passed Victoria- 1 year.
Presumably will be
succeeded by son
Charles (b. 1948),
then grandson William
(b. 1982)

30. Cornell Notes- Processing
Review your notes.
On the left hand side, process your notes. Put things that will help you to remember the information on the right side. You can ask questions (like we’ve done in the past), draw pictures, do small summaries of each section, pull key ideas, etc.
Finally, summarize all your notes on the bottom of your last page: List 3-5 things that had the biggest impact on literature, language, and lifestyle during the Modern/Contemporary Era.
Add a brief statement about why.