Unit 8 – The Modern World

Historical Background Science and Technology advances during this time period would help to shape and permanently alter the ways in which people lived. ◦ Albert Einstein –Theory of Relativity ◦ Sigmund Freud – Theory of Human Behavior World War I Great Depression – this did not only effect the US, but it also hit many European countries World War II

Literature Background Writers from all countries were exposed to the literary movements and traditions of other countries. ◦ This allowed writers from non-Western and less developed countries to gain attention. Modernism – major literary movement of this time. ◦ Eliminating traditional links ◦ Use of implied themes, elusive realities ◦ Use of imagery to describe things

Anna Ahkmatova ( ) Born in a small town called Odessa, which sits on the coast of the Black Sea. Acmeists – used poetry to understand and embrace the present moment and show the realities of the world. She wrote about the people she knew and the events that she witnessed. ◦ Russo-Japanese War, World War I & II, and Stalin’s totalitarianism greatly affected her. During Stalin’s purge of writers in the 1930’s her writing was banned and her life was threatened. ◦ She continued to write and published a book of poetry when the ban was lifted in 1940.

Literary Devices Speaker in a poem – the one who “says” the words of the poem. There are several kinds of poetic speakers: ◦ The voice of the poet him or herself. ◦ Fictional character ◦ Human being, a non human entity, or even an inanimate object. Poet’s vision – the writer’s view of the world. Imagery – language that appeals to one or more of the five senses—to express ideas.

Boris Pasternak ( ) He is one of Russia’s greatest writers. During the Stalinist oppression he led a calm life, but he did not avoid persecution. ◦ 1956 he published Doctor Zhivago. ◦ Soviet authorities forbade its publication. ◦ It was published around the world to great acclaim. ◦ 1958 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, which Soviet authorities forced him to decline. ◦ The last two years of his life were spent in near exile in an artists’ community outside Moscow. Imagism – stressed the use of imagery and believed that the true basis of poetry was the metaphor. ◦ Offers little explanation, instead focusing the reader’s attention on a single, sharply defined moment in time.

Rainer Maria Rilke ( ) Spent his childhood in Prague and later lived in Russia, France, and Switzerland. Rilke’s Philosophy – he sees all things as saturated with a mystical, divine energy. ◦ 1899 he traveled to Russia and met Leo Tolstoy who inspired this philosophy. ◦ He also met French sculptor Auguste Rodin – he believed that the work of an artist held religious meaning. ◦ He applied these views to the elements of nature and inanimate objects.

Colette ( ) She was born in France and became a prominent author during the early 1900’s. She was married three times, the first two ended in divorce and the third one lasted until her death. Each of them were authors. Besides writing she was also a singer, dancer, and hairdresser. She was a very independent woman for her time period. Colette wrote more than 50 novels or novellas and an even greater amount of short stories in her lifetime. She is known as one of France’s literary legends.

“The Bracelet” Madame Augelier is a 50 year old woman that is reflecting back on her life of wealth and privilege. ◦ In her reflections she discovers some unavoidable truths about life, possessions, and the passage of time. Colette wrote this short story at the height of the women’s rights movement to show how the roles of women were changing in France.

Literary Device Epiphany – a sudden flash of insight that a person has about themselves, another person, a situation, or life itself. ◦ The revelation can be either positive or negative. ◦ In traditional plots, a series of events leads to the resolution of the conflict. However, in modern stories, the series of events leads to an epiphany that may alter the conflict without resolving it.