KTU- Department of English Language and Literature Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

20. CENTURY MODERNISM

MODERNIST ELEMENTS

KTU- Department of English Language and Literature Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

WHAT IS MODERNISM?

It is a disengagement

from ordinary conventions

and seeking new

perspectives, forms and

styles in literature.

KTU- Department of English Language and Literature Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

MAJOR THEMES

Alienation from society, loneliness and

violence

Loss and despair; painful memories of past

Inevitable change

Race relations; sense of place; local skin color

Rejection of history

Fear of death

Impossibility to express love

KTU- Department of English Language and Literature Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

MAJOR FEATURES

Focus on form rather than meaning

Corrupting old shapes

Disengagement from social principals

and cultural values

Understanding truths; rejecting

mythical past

KTU- Department of English Language and Literature Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

MAJOR FEATURES

Interest in early and non-western cultures

Reflecting complexity of modern urban life

Life is fragmented

Subject is usually what the purpose of

literature and poetry is

Ironic and emotionless

KTU- Department of English Language and Literature Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

MAJOR FEATURES

Anti romantic; not naturalist but interested

in art

Poem need not to have a meaning

Poet is responsible for life and spirit

Point of view is remote from subject

Allusions to myth, the Bible, foreign

languages and street life

KTU- Department of English Language and Literature Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

MAJOR FEATURES

Poems resemble a puzzle or

labyrinth; so meaning must be

searched by reader

Not using unnecessary words

Words are arranged entertainingly

Very footnoted.

KTU- Department of English Language and Literature Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

• http://authspot.com/poetry/the-three-most-important-features-of-modern-poetry/

• http://www.online-literature.com/periods/modernism.php

• http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/271937.html