As we journey through modernism I can’t help but note how stylistically different every single author is from all the others of this period. Much of what we have covered so far in class has in one way or another addressed the issue of individuality and separation. Modernism is no exception. Not only are characters adapting and modernizing along with society, but the same development is also present in writing styles and subject matter. It seems literature adopted a much more artistic approach, as opposed to the traditional religious, scholarly, and philanthropic approaches of the past. In Gertrude Stein’s “Tender Buttons” Objects, the influence of the artistic movements, as well as that of her friends in the painting business (Picasso and …show more content…
The Early 1900’s was a time of extreme wealth, and extreme poverty, without much in the middle. I think that Steins Objects reflects the marked ambivalence of this dual-class system by calling out both sides of the coin in very different ways. The selection of items that she chose to include revealed common items that most households would contain. Although some of the objects listed would be more typical to wealthier households, there was no suggestion of extravagance or grandeur. Since the art is in depicting a moment rather than describing an item, the pessimistic overtones shine through in the lack of passion/pride in description. A far cry from transcendentalism. For example, “the book was there, it was there” (p99) is not inspiring to the book itself, but rather to the exactness of the book, realistically, in that moment in time. Her writing style, in this way, appeals to the reality of the impoverished. The items are complex, yet they are still ordinary and subject to the rules of nature. With the upper-class focus on obscurity, technology, gaudy and ostentatious style, I think this piece also addresses to them in that even simple objects can be made very complex when you adjust the way in which you view them. Value isn’t always overt, and there is depth in simplicity. The objects are
The Norton Anthology of American Literature defines and explains American Modernism through a historical lens and further emphasizes the significant social changes of the era. The American Modernist era is situated between two world wars and a devastating economic depression. The anthology describes these impactful events as a catalyst for social, political, technological, and philosophical change. America lost a sense of identity and entered into a quest to find meaning in all aspects of life.
We sse this today with the way certain celeberties such as Kanye West dress and how they seemingly are able to wear any "hat" they wish. We look at the rich to be role models simply because of their money and refuse to look at the heart of a person. She hit on the fact that those with little money do all they can to look like something they are not. She talked about the struggle of haveing womens club in the poor neighborhoods as many wouldn't leave a home adress or even attend becase everyone knew they finacial situation but they were going to differnt parts of town to those that didn't to seem like they were a person who were very well off in life. The piece hit om the fact that these chidren were often asked to stop their develepment and work to help the family and for some parenst it was an expectation that the children would care for them. LAstly she talked about war and how it preys on the untutered and poor to fight a battle they knew nothing about. One huge theme of the pieces were that we cannot keep using history and old customs to justify our shortcomings in
Writers of this time period were heavily influenced by the war, and the political events going on. Major writers were; T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, and others. All of their writings incorporated accurate portrayals of the world through experience and interior monologue (“Modernism” 504) and did not write about the new technology developing around them (“Modernism” 501).
The woman rejects any motion that she lost her identity due to fear of admitting her fault. Ironically, the woman turns to find comfort in the shallowness and wealth of others even though the upper class values have never made her truly happy. Furthermore, the woman’s “meanings lost in manner” (27) force her to remain “alone in brilliant circles” (28). The woman desires to find some happiness and comfort in the rest of her life, but she’s only accustom to finding it in trivial wealth. Through imagery, the reader understands that the woman has completely lost her personal value in the manners of the upper class and remains in the lifestyle that beckons her with its material, flashy
Angels in America, by Tony Kushner, is a play written during the AIDS/ HIV epidemic in the 1980’s. Different than most plays, most of the actors posses more than just one or even two roles. These roles taken on by the same actors emphasize the difference in the characters being played. Some of the characters being played by the same actors are minor roles which fill a need that one of the main characters aquires a longing for. The use of multiple characters being played by the same actors displays the way in which their different characters affect the needs that a psychological deficiency proposes.
The age of literary modernism in America allowed a break in traditional literature, especially with the concepts of religious, political and social views. This creation of difference was influenced by the changing of lifestyles in America. Modernism made its first appearances during the twentieth century. American’s were facing conflicts that were tearing at the seams of a traditional lifestyle. World War I, a decrease in patriotism, and racism shaped modern literary works.
Authors in both modern and gothic literature use various literary devices, such as italics, and conventions of the genres to display their character’s mental states to allow readers to sympathize and understand them on a deeper level. The gothic genre uses language that provokes fear and anxiety in the reader, often by using elements that cannot be explained. There is a strong link between beauty and fear which the settings mimic. Modernism favours juxtapositions and uses senses of fragmentation and rupture. There is usually no frame of reference which allows the reader to construct the meaning. Modern literature is highly experimental in regards to punctuation, grammar, plot, and the stream of consciousness; it can include a rejection of traditional
The political, social, cultural, and economic aspect of the modern period has affected our country. The writers who created Modernism challenged the traditional ways. Today, we aren’t as traditional, we are still challenging the values of society and forms of literature. Today, writers like Dave Eggers, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Sherman Alexie are taking on the challenge of making their view of literature more to reality. The United States popular culture was transformed by the automobile, radio, movies, advertising, and other innovations.
Depression has presented itself in society well before the scientists of today were able to begin research and truly try to understand this disease. Depression in its earliest form was known as “melancholia”. The earliest accounts of melancholia appeared in ancient Mesopotamian texts in the second millennium B.C. ("Mental Help Historical Understandings of Depression Comments", 2007). Mental illness back during these times were thought to be of demonic possessions and/or punishments from the almighty God. Society at this time did not believe that there was a problem that was taking place in the brain and changing the behaviors of individuals affected by the diagnosis. Darkness Visible by William Styron is vulnerable account of his own stretch
The Modernist Rebellion against Victorians While transitioning from the Victorian Era to the Modernist Era, Modernist are distancing themselves from Victorian values and techniques, which we see in Dickens “A Christmas Carol,” and Woolf’s “The Lady Through the Looking Glass: A Reflection.” Victorian values focused on the line between good and bad, right or wrong, as Victorians saw the world governed by God’s will and it was characterized by the industrial revolution, high ethical levels and the focus on middle classes. Modernist fiction narratives can be presented as a distinct form or as the author.
The start of the twentieth century gave rise to a multitude of change, whether it be the increase of automobiles in everyday life, a loosening in morals, a change in world leaders, or even the shift in literary movements in America. In the early 1900s, there were rapid advancements made in both science and technology in America and from this, the Modernist movement was born. The Modernist period marks a clear turn from the way old traditions in writing. Influenced by the progress made in science and technology and the suffering caused by the Great Depression and World War 2, the Modernist era brought together in perfect harmony the sense of “contradictory impulses” in the midst of joy and pain (Leubering). The Modernist movement brought along
Authors wanted to revolutionize arts and audience worldwide. This was done by the creation of tools that helped excel the “American Dream”. Some of the major authors in this time included T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein (Modernism). There are two different groupings of modernism, which are modernism and post modernism. In the beginning, “early modernists used elements of experimentation, freedom, radicalism, and utopianism” (Modernism). After the war, “post-modernists, however, rebelled against many modernist elements and instead depicted disillusionment and elements of dystopian ideas—dehumanized and fearful lives” (Modernism). Many different historical aspects influenced the upcoming of the modernist movement such as publications of scientific theories, technological inventions that globalized society, Sigmund Freud’s change in the discipline of psychology, new concepts of ethics, morality, and ideals, and artistic movements (Modernism).
Romanticism and modernism are two philosophical thoughts so unlike each other, modernism embracing the cold truth of reality in the industrialized world of 1920s America, romanticism this same world through rose filtered lenses, summed up in the words of Mr. F. Scott Fitzgerald, “we are all just humans… drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our broken bones.” Fitzgerald was a romantic living in the modernist 1920s, and his classic work The Great Gatsby was certainly a romantic book, and thusly did not succeed in his time; in fact, it did not succeed until after his death in the 1940s. Fitzgerald saw the green light, but it was just as out of reach to him as it was to Mr. Gatsby. Though The Great Gatsby was unappreciated
Materialism can be seen throughout the story. The setting at a vacation resort in Florida is the first sign. In the opening line, the recounting that the hotel is occupied primarily by advertising men provides a further indication of the material nature of society. This is also relevant in the phone conversation between Muriel and her mother. Throughout the conversation, the reader is exposed to a situation most notably characterized by faulty communication with each participant in the conversation failing to connect with the other’s point of view.
My love for chemistry stemmed from curiosity, from wanting to know what happened when seven year old me, along with my father’s help, poured water into a container holding dry ice and created a mysterious white fog, and why when 10 year old me put dry ice into a used water bottle, closed it and threw it, it exploded. Till this day, only my sense of safety has changed. This internship supports my interests in three ways: (a) I want to go to graduate school; it has always been my dream to impact the world in some way despite the magnitude of what I will accomplish. However, I have limited experience when it comes to research, and I honestly feel that in order to fully understand what my calling is I have to be exposed to different possibilities.