1. - American Literature 1910 - 1930

2. Era of Modernism
Desire to “break” with the past
Pivotal event of the era was WWI – before the war the attitude was one of optimism
Many writers lived in Europe during this time

3. Writers who did not go to Europe before the war visited during and after
WWI was a tragic failure of old values, old politics, and old ideas – essential to cast off ways of the past – filled with despair and confusion

4. Expatriates – disenchantment after the war led many writers to become expatriates or exiles – many settled in Paris where they were influenced by Gertrude Stein – she coined the phrase “the lost generation” to describe those disillusioned by the war

5. Modernist writers not only wanted to express the waste and futility, but they wanted to make some sense of the experience

6. Modernist Literature “Make it new” – cry of Ezra Pound
Modern psychology had great impact on literature – writers showed how we often think by leaping from association to association in what William James called “stream of consciousness”

7. Imagism – poetic movement that ushered in the era- the imagists rebelled against the sentimentality of the 19th century- they demanded hard, clear expression, concrete images, and the language of every day speech – their models came from the Greek and Roman classics, the Chinese and Japanese, and free verse of French poets of their day

8. Poetry discards meter and rhyme – free verse is the tool of most
Visual appearance of poetry is important
Use of everyday subjects that would be unusual in 19th
Often fragmentary reflecting not only the “stream of consciousness” but the Modernist perception of 20th century as a jumble of conflicting ideas
Modernists often insist that readers participate and draw own conclusions – the modernist shows rather than tells

9. Imagist poetry uses an image to capture an emotion

10. River Merchant’s Wife Ezra Pound adapts the poem from the Chinese
In her letter the young wife reviews their life together - bashfulness at 14, growing love at 15 and a deep love and longing at 16
Worried about the dangers he faces
Willingness to go meet him

11. Janet Waking
John Crowe Ransom takes a sentimental topic and treats it in an unsentimental way
Uses irony & pathos
Janet discovers her Chucky has died = killed by a bee sting
First experience with death

12. Pleads with her parents to waken Chucky
Waking from innocence
The detached tone allows the events to speak for themselves

13. old age sticks
e.e. cummings –uses experimentation to present traditional themes
Capitalization and word placement are important also irony
Warnings of the elderly about the dangers of age go unheeded by the carefree young.

14. The young tear down the signs, but one day they will be posting the signs themselves
Elderly recognized with capital letters and parentheses
Use of irony in last stanza

15. Mending Wall Robert Frost writes much about nature in New England
Sees a relationship with humanity and nature
Frost describes the upkeep of stone walls that separate neighbors both literally and figuratively –

16. as the speaker he feels that “something there is that doesn’t love a wall” but his neighbor fiercely true to his father’s traditions counters that “good fences make good neighbors.”
What is the reason for the wall
When do they rebuild

17. Stopping by the Woods Stops to watch the snow
Horse impatient to move on
Mile to go before he sleeps
Actions show he has a sense of appreciation of nature and responsibility

18. Internal conflict –torn between the desire to stay and appreciate nature and an awareness that he has commitments to fulfill

19. The Road Not Taken Written about his friend Edward Thomas
Both roads equally appealing
Would like to try both
Chooses path less traveled – independent spirit – doesn’t follow the crowd

20. He is committed to take the road
Says he will come back but knows in life one thing leads to another
Relief or happiness – sorrow or regret
(interpretation up to the reader)
The road he chose has made all the difference

21. Knows what his life is like from the road he has chosen but does not know what it would have been like if he had taken the other road