1. AND ITS IMPACT ON AMERICAN
The Modern Period…
AND ITS IMPACT ON AMERICAN
LITERATURE

2. RISE OF MODERNISM MODERNISM--characteristics
called for bold experimentation
a rejection of traditional themes and styles such as:
Morality: Rise in Sexual Promiscuity; Introduction of Birth Control;
Fashion: Short skirts, bobbed hair, “Flapper” look
Writers begin to question authority
Language: Rise in usage of slang, not only in everyday speech, but in literature as well
Tone (attitude toward life in America and American Dream) is cynical (bitter, hopeless) and ironic (contrasting the way life should be with what it was)
the American Dream—Americans rejected the notion that anyone, despite their circumstances of birth, could achieve their full potential

3. THE AMERICAN DREAM Three Central Ideas
Admiration for America as a “New Eden”
Land of Beauty, Bounty, Unlimited Promise
Optimism and Opportunity: justified by progress of Industrial Revolution and ever-expanding opportunities in America
Americans believed in progress—life will just keep getting better
Importance and ultimate triumph of the individual
Independent, self-reliant individual—Based on Franklin and Emersonian beliefs
Modernism contrasted the promise America offered with the disappointment when the reality did not live up to the ideal.

4. THE AMERICAN DREAM What destroys America’s faith in the Dream?
The stock market crash of 1929 and Depression of 1930s
Dustbowl Era (1930s)—severe drought and soil erosion affected 100 million acres of land and led to the mass migration of 2.5 million people out of the Great Plains states
WWI—emphasized the unimportance of individual life and the destructive nature of mankind
Prohibition—gives rise to bootleggers, speakeasies, looser moral codes in the younger generation
Rise of Socialism/Communism further reinforces the unimportance of the individual

5. CHANGES IN LITERATURE Style and Theme
Theme: Modern writers challenged the American Dream by asking for the meaning and purpose of human life.
Themes are often expressed indirectly in Modern Literature—the reader is expected to work and think while reading
Style: Stream of consciousness: a style of writing that portrays the inner (and often chaotic) workings of a characters mind
abandoned ordered time
attempted to imitate the moment by moment flow of thoughts and ideas
Style: Plain Style (Journalism/News Style)
Return to simple sentences and clarity of expression
Use of slang and common language
Lack of figurative language—metaphors, similes, flowery imagery

6. CHANGES IN LITERATURE Content: New Modern Heroes
man of action (warrior or competitor)
has a code of honor, courage, and endurance
Based on his own philosophy, not on what society tells him is morally right
thoroughly disillusioned—believes in nothing at all
Has lost faith in America, the American Dream, and usually himself