Modernism

modernism a style or movement in the arts that aims to break with classical and traditional forms Prompted by development of industrial societies, urbanization, responses to WWI Self-conscious and ironic; concerned with the processes and materials of artistic creation Rejection of realism reflects the desire to reshape, recreate, Re-examination of traditional; embracing progress

Modernist literature Response to: WWI Technology Psychological Theory Increased capitalism Apparent decline of civilization Alienation and loneliness

Modernist literature Fiction written in first person Use of stream of consciousness, often with no clear beginning, middle, end Increased use of irony and satire Emphasis on impressionism and subjectivity – how seeing and reading takes place rather than on what is perceived Blurring of distinctions between genres Emphasis on fragmented forms, discontinuous narratives Art is self-conscious – shows itself as something constructed and consumed Rejection of formal aesthetic theories

Modernist: Ezra Pound Title: In a Station of the Metro The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough. (an imagist poem, 1913 – a clear image of faces as petals that brings together the urban world of the Paris Metro with the world of leaves and trees – suggests fragility and brevity of life)