THE 20 TH CENTURY LITERATURE  Historical Background: - increasing instability of society - increasing instability of society - imperialism as the reawakening of a - imperialism as the reawakening of a dominating spirit –-- Imperial Federation dominating spirit –-- Imperial Federation - an absence of generally accepted view of - an absence of generally accepted view of life life - a bewildering variety of intellectual and - a bewildering variety of intellectual and material influence material influence - a reaction against Victorianism - a reaction against Victorianism - the usual overlapping of old and new - the usual overlapping of old and new ideas ideas - a rapid advance of applied science - a rapid advance of applied science

THE 20 TH CENTURY LITERATURE  Effects after WW I: - lost generation - depression - new naturalism - anti-Utopianism and fear.  Effects after WW II: - disillusion - dissatisfaction - alienation

 Literary Works: - fiction: pop novels, scientific - fiction: pop novels, scientific novels, individual self, nature novels, individual self, nature - imagism is becoming a trend of the - imagism is becoming a trend of the British and American poetic British and American poetic movement movement - stream of consciousness: the flow - stream of consciousness: the flow of thought of the waking mind of thought of the waking mind - depression: slump in the world - depression: slump in the world economy economy

- new naturalism: combination of realism - new naturalism: combination of realism and romance and romance - disillusion and the angry young - disillusion and the angry young men: dissatisfaction and alienation men: dissatisfaction and alienation against middle class values and a against middle class values and a release of working class energies release of working class energies - Beat generation: the mid-fifties - Beat generation: the mid-fifties discontent against ‘square’ society discontent against ‘square’ society

- Hippy movement: a revolution in - Hippy movement: a revolution in consciousness through drugs and consciousness through drugs and Oriental religions, opposed Oriental religions, opposed traditional, consumer values traditional, consumer values (political) (political) - Existentialism: describing some - Existentialism: describing some loosely connected philosophical loosely connected philosophical ideas which assert the unique and ideas which assert the unique and particular in human experience and particular in human experience and the ability of individuals to be what the ability of individuals to be what he/she chooses to be he/she chooses to be

 Subconscious: not fully known / understood by the mind in its conscious working; present at a hidden level of mind.  Anti-utopianism and fear: the economic depression and threat of totalitarianism from both fascism and communism. Mass culture was seen to be manipulated, through technology, for political or commercial reasons.

 Orwellianism: touched the nerve of the wider public in Britain and the USA. It’s the system of bureaucracy where the organization should complete its own organ systematically.  Black Literature: the product of literature by the Black, about the Black  Feminism: the reform movement in England and the USA which aimed at the social, educational and political equality of women with men began in the late 18 th century.

TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE  :  Poetry: An exhausted post-1918 world was suspicious of An exhausted post-1918 world was suspicious of all manifestations of authority: all manifestations of authority: - anti heroic - anti heroic - revolt against notions of assertion and will - revolt against notions of assertion and will - a hostility to urban and industrial ugliness - a hostility to urban and industrial ugliness - materialism of contemporary English life - materialism of contemporary English life - the effect of war - the effect of war - modernism - modernism - humanity seen as part of natural world - humanity seen as part of natural world - imagism - imagism - free verse - free verse

TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE  Prose: - Fiction: realism and naturalism, detective and crime story crime story - Novel -- effect of wars: pop novels and novels which explore the interrelation between which explore the interrelation between the individual self, social self, and nature; the individual self, social self, and nature; stream of consciousness stream of consciousness - Short story - History and Biography - Essay

TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE  Drama: - George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950) - John Galsworthy (1867 – 1933) - Sir James Mattew Barrie (1860 – 1937) - William Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1965) - Thomas Sterne Eliot (1888 – 1965) - J.B.Priestley (1894 – 1968) - Christopher Fry (1907 – 1972) - John Osborne (1929 – 1978) - Arnold Wesker ( 1932 – 1981) - Harold Pinter (1930 – 1979) - Samuel Beckett (1906 – 1986)