Modernism

Realism and Naturalism Realism - a reaction to “romanticism.” Style of writing, developed in the nineteenth century, that attempts to depict life accurately without idealizing or romanticizing it. Naturalism - Opposing the view of “transcendentalism,” an extension of realism that claimed to portray life exactly as it was. Nature is not nurturing or benign. It is unforgiving, as portrayed in Into the Wild.

The Moderns Modernism - A term for the bold new experimental styles and forms that swept the arts from A direct reaction to “realism.” Get inside their head. Make you feel. Made the text more vague, had to go beyond the surface. “I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eights of it under water for every part that shows.” - Ernest Hemingway

During this time, idealism was turning into cynicism, some American writers began to question the authority and tradition that served as foundation a for American values. War World I one of the events that brought about this change. Society evolved rapidly, resulting in a more rebellious nature (short skirts, new slang, hairstyles, etc.). The Great Depression of 1929 also had profound impact during the times, adding to the cynicism. The American Dream - three ideas are a belief in the land as a bountiful new Eden (The Great Gatsby), an unwavering faith in progress, and confidence in the ultimate triumph of the individual/self-reliance (Ralph Waldo Emerson). This notion was challenged during the modernist movement.

A Crack in the World: Breakdown of Beliefs and Traditions Marxism and pyschoanalysis (Sigmund Freud) two intellectual theories that put pressure on traditional values. Some writers preferred Marxist theories over democracy. Psychoanalysis questioned how much freedom we really had. Before the 20 th century, no real exploration of the subconcious mind. Stream of consciousness - writing style abandoned chronology and attempted to imitate moment-by-moment flow of character’s perceptions and memories.

At Home and Abroad: The Jazz Age 1919 Constitution prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcohol. This ushered a time when bootleggers, slick talkers, and jazz became popular. During the 1920’s, many American authors lived abroad as an expatriate, such as Fitzgerald. Grace Under Pressure: The New American Hero Hemingway summed up the values of many post-WWI writers, both in his spare, plain style and in his creation of a new kind of hero, disillusioned but also honorable and courageous.

Modernist Voices in Poetry: A Dazzling Period Paris had a huge influence on American writers, where many went to live after WWI. Modernist painters such Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso explored new ways to express reality. Poetry influenced in the form of symbolism and imagism. Symbolism - literary movement that originated in late-nineteenth- century France, in which writers rearranged the world of appearances in order to reveal a more truthful version of reality Imagism - 20th century movement in European and American poetry that advocated the creation of hard, clear images, concisely expressed in everyday speech (The Red Wheel Barrow).

Voices of American Character: Poetry in New England and the Midwest Many poets during the modernist movement still stuck to traditional values in their writing, such as Robert Frost. The Harlem Renaissance: Voices of the African American Experience  Harlem Renaissance - revolutionized the African American contributions to American literature introducing ghetto speech and the rhythms of jazz and blues into their verse. The American Dream Revised  American modernist writers both echoed and challenged the American dream. Represented a much broader voice than ever before, bring about a second American renaissance.

Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

Modernist Paintings Marc ChagallMarc Chagall, I and the Village, 1911,1911 oil on canvas.

Le guitariste by Pablo Picasso (1910)Pablo Picasso

Composition No Piet Mondrian. Oil on canvas. 80 x 73 cm. Private collection.Piet Mondrian

Dora Maar au ChatDora Maar au Chat, 1941 Pablo Picasso

The Scream Edward Munch 1893

Henri Matisse: The Dance, 1909

Guernica Pablo Picasso, 1937Pablo Picasso