Here i am sharing my views on modernism in literature.

1. What is Modernism in Literature?
NAME : HARIYANI KISHAN .R
ROLL NO: 17
PAPER : 9 THE MODERNIST LITERATURE
SUBMITTED:S.B.GARDI DEPARTMENT
OF ENGLISH M.K.BHAVNAGAR
UNIVERSITY
BATCH :2015’17
Email Id :kishanhariyani1992@gmail.com

2. What is Literary Modernism?
Literary modernism traces its origins to late
19th and early 20th century
Began in France, spread to England and
America and finally came back to Europe
Enjoyed its peak during the years 1910-1925.

3. Modernism as a movement
Modernism as a movement can be recognized not only
in literature but also in
• The sciences
• Philosophy
• Psychology
• Anthropology
• Painting
• Music
• Sculpture
• Architecture

4. Influential thinkers
Physicist Einstein on Relativity (1905)
Physicist Planck on Quantum Theory (1900)
Psychologist Freud on the Unconscious (The
Interpretation of Dreams, 1900)
Psychologist Jung on Collective Unconscious
Linguist De Saussure on Language
Anthropologist Frazer on Primitive Cultures

5. Artistic and Literary Movements
• Imagism:
• Symbolism:
• Vorticism:
• Expressionism:
• Futurism:
• Dadaism

8. History of Modernism in Literature
Emerging fields of psychology and sociology
Advancements in science and technology
Ambiguous situation after World-War I
Increase in population and expansion of cities
It was in these tumultuous times that the
Cultural Revolution, known as Modernism.

9. Decay of Character and Hero

Psychological theories of Sigmund
Freud created an impact on modernist
writers
 Writers found that the traditional method
of portraying characters was erroneous
Characteristic Of Modernist Literature:

10. Modern story does not follow a Chronological
order
Modern stories do not have a beginning or
end
Modernist literature requires an Active reader
Decay Of Plot

11. Stress on Individual
Individual is more important for modernist
writers than society
In a modern story, there are no universally
accepted values of social conduct

12. Realism
Modern stories are realistic
For writers, there is no such thing
as absolute truth; everything is
relative.
Modernist literature is a portrayal
of life as it is.

13. Thematic features
Focus on form rather than meaning
Breaking down of limitation of space
and time
Borrowings from other cultures and
languages
Unconventional use of metaphor

14. Formal features of narrative
• Lack of traditional chronological narrative
(discontinuous narrative)
• Break of narrative frames (fragmentation)
• Moving from one level of narrative to another
• Use of interior monologue technique
• Use of the stream of consciousness technique
• Focus on a character's consciousness and
subconscious

15. Prominent Modernist Writers
 Samuel Beckett
 James Joyce
 Virginia Woolf
 Elizabeth Bowen
 Dorothy Richardson
 T. S. Eliot
 William Faulkner
 Sylvia Plath
 W. B. Yeats
 Ernest Hemingway

16. Work Cited:
Related Articles:
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/high-school-
english-lessons/29453-modernism-in-literature/
http://www.online-
literature.com/periods/modernism.php
http://www.online-
literature.com/periods/modernism.php
http://www.slideshare.net/ciaffaroni/modernism-in-
literature-1082251