M ODERNISM & I MAGISM Early 20 th century

M ODERNISM Early 20 th century movement Virginia Woolf: human nature went through a fundamental change “on or about December 1910” – fervent desire to break with the past Writers reject literary traditions/norms that no longer seemed to suit an era of technological breakthroughs and global violence WWI (1914 – 1918): end of European domination and the beginning of “The American Century” F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby

I MAGISM Strand of Modernism, lasted from Manifesto of the movement: “to use the language of common speech, but to employ always the exact word, not the nearly-exact, nor the merely decorative” Aimed to replace muddy abstractions with exactness of observed detail, apt metaphors, and economy of language Poets: Amy Lowell, William Carlos Williams, Hilda Doolittle, Ezra Pound

E ZRA P OUND “That which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time.” In a Station of the Metro The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough.

A L ONDON T HOROUGHFARE 2 A. M. 1. What do you notice about Lowell’s diction in this poem? Circle examples of diction that supports her message. 2. Discuss the poem’s structure: where does Lowell break lines, and how does she use punctuation? Make notes on your copy of examples of how her structure supports her meaning (ex: “Cabs go down it/One,/ And then another” emphasizes each individual cab, but also the never-ending supply of cabs that fills the city) 3. Using your glossary of poetic terms, find at least 3 other poetic devices that Lowell uses. Underline these devices, and discuss with your group how these devices support Lowell’s meaning.

T HIS IS JUST TO SAY I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold

P ICKY EATER I made salad for dinner and there are more than a few mushrooms which I know you so dislike My desire to make you happy was overrun by my desire to say there’s a fungus among us