Based on pages 799-818 of Elements of Literature and misc. other. Historical Introduction for the 2nd Nine Weeks – The Modern and Post-Modern Periods Based on pages 799-818 of Elements of Literature and misc. other.

1900 – Present – Pgs 802-804 Around 1901, Queen Victoria died, marking the end of the Victorian period. Several major events transpired from 1900 to the present, all having some impact on the literature and art of the Modern and Post-Modern periods: World War I (i.e. The Great War) – 1914-1918 World War II – 1939-1945 The Fall of the British Empire

Opposing Ideas – Pgs 806-807 At this time, opposing ideas on politics, science, etc, influenced cultures across the world: Creationism vs. Evolution Charles Darwin, 1809-1882 Darwin poses ideas like natural selection, survival of the fittest, and evolution. The discussion of how these ideas impact religious beliefs has gone on, ever since. These ideas later gave birth to “Social Darwinism,” an idea used to justify that some people, races, etc, are superior to others. Capitalism vs. Socialism Karl Marx, 1818 – 1883 Marx criticized capitalism and suggested that the working classes could rise up, take over the means of production, and achieve a more equal society. Socialism and communism were born of these philosophies, changing the face of world governments, wars, and policies ever after. Conscious vs. Unconscious Thought Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939 Freud theorized that our behaviors are not just motivated by our conscious thoughts (the ones we’re aware of) but by a subconscious mind as well (with unconscious thoughts, thoughts and motivations we are not aware of). Furthermore, Freud believed that dreams could be analyzed to discover what lies in the subconscious. While many of his initial assumptions have been rejected or modified, his work was the foundation for modern psychology / the study of the human mind.

World War I – Pgs 807-809 The German army invaded Belgium in 1914. Britain, France, and Russia, united by treaties, oppose united Germany and Austria-Hungary. World War I ensues, involving much of Europe. Many patriotic British men volunteered to serve their country, and many many died in the grueling trench warfare of the French battlefields. After an armistice was declared in 1918, Britain was worse off than it had been going into the war, and people became less patriotic / more disillusioned with their country. This change of mindset gave rise to more realism in literature and art.

Realism and Skepticism – Pgs 809-810 Nationalism gave way to criticisms of the war and the way one’s country is run. Prudery in Victorian culture is eroded by authors and artists discussing all aspects of human life (including sex) a bit more openly. The technique stream of consciousness became popular at this time, a writing style that tries to depict the random flow of thoughts, emotions, memories, and associations running through a character’s mind. Notable authors of this period in Britain include the following: Joseph Conrad Virginia Woolf D. H. Lawrence James Joyce

World War II – Pgs 810-811 A world-wide economic depression began in 1929. From this, new dictatorships rose in Germany, Italy, and Russia. Fascism – a rigidly nationalistic government that relies on the absolute rule of a single dictator backed by force. Benito Mussolini became the fascist dictator of Italy. Adolf Hitler became the fascist dictator of Germany. Communism – Born of Karl Marx’s philosophies, this totalitarian government claimed to promote equally distributing wealth among its citizens and destroying social classes, but resulted in merely a different form of dictatorship. Vladimir Lenin, followed by Josef Stalin, ruled the USSR (now Russia) as communist dictators.

World War II Continued – Pgs 809-810 In 1939, Hitler led the Nazis across Europe, aiming to wipe out Jews and other minorities so as to establish a new German empire, or reich. Italy and Japan allied themselves with Germany at this time. Together, Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States went to war with, and defeated, the Nazis, thus ending WW2. Despite victory, death on a massive scale from the war, the Holocaust, and the atomic bombs, had a very dark influence on literature and art, thereafter.

The British Empire Dissolves – Pgs 812-813 Leading up to the end of the Victorian era, Britain had expanded its territory across the world. At the end of the Victorian era, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand declared their independence from Great Britain. Later on, places like India, Ireland, etc, began to declare their independence, as well. Soon, the United Kingdom would only exist as Britain, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as it is today. Former colonies, now independent, nurtured a new branch of literature called postcolonial literature, focusing on life and culture in such places, and how being colonized has changed them forever.

Literature After World War II After WW2, Post-Modern literature rose to prominence, and continues to this day. By Post-Modern, we mean a trend in art and philosophy that reflects the late-twentieth-century distrust in the idea that there is a legitimate and true system of thought that can be used to understand the world and our place in it. This movement is not just British, but very international / global in scale.

Literature After World War 2 Some major authors of the modern and post-modern era saw the horrors of war and decided to couch their worries and concerns not within realism, but in science fiction and fantasy settings. George Orwell wrote 1984, a futuristic dystopia in which massive governments rule every aspect of people’s lives through constant surveillance, fear, and a manipulation of the truth. His fears for the future resonate today, even though the year 1984 and its “futuristic” technologies have long since arrived. “Big Brother is watching you.” J. R. R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the journeys of very modern-Britishman-like personalities in the form of a half-ling “hobbits” through a fantasy world that mixes elements of the old classics of literature (Beowulf, Sir Gawain, etc), universal human concerns (such as struggles with greed, sin, “crosses to bear,” virtues old and new), and exaggerations of very modern evils (such as the horrors of war in the Battle of the Five Armies, the survivalist and very politician-like philosophies of Sauruman, and the grueling struggle against the dark lord Sauron).