2. WHAT IS
MODERNISM?
It is a disengagement from
ordinary conventions and seeking
new perspectives, forms and styles
in literature.
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY
3. MAJOR THEMES
Alienation from society, loneliness and violence
Loss and despair; painful memories of past
Inevitable change
Race relations; sense of place; local skin color
Rejection of history
Fear of death
Impossibility to express love
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY
4. MAJOR FEATURES
Focus on form rather than meaning
Corrupting old shapes
Disengagement from social principals and
cultural values
Understanding truths; rejecting mythical past
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY
5. MAJOR FEATURES
Interest in early and non-western cultures
Reflecting complexity of modern urban life
Life is fragmented
Subject is usually what the purpose of literature and
poetry is
Ironic and emotionless
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY
6. MAJOR FEATURES
Anti romantic; not naturalist but interested in art
Poem need not to have a meaning
Poet is responsible for life and spirit
Point of view is remote from subject
Allusions to myth, the Bible, foreign languages and street
life
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY
7. MAJOR FEATURES
Poems resemble a puzzle or labyrinth; so
meaning must be searched by reader
Not using unnecessary words
Words are arranged entertainingly
Very footnoted.
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY
