Innovation and Experiment in English Modernist Fiction

7/25/2019 Innovation and Experiment in English Modernist Fiction

1/5

Ungureanu IulianEnglish- Romanian

Inovation and Experimentalism in English Modernist FictionAt the end of the 19th Century Great Britain changed. Queen Victoria died after 63

years of rulling this huge Empire. im!olicaly" this means the end of an era. #t $as also the

moment $hen the first B%E& $ar started. 'his $as one of the first pro(es that nothing in this

$orld is sure) a little force $ent against such a !ig empire as Great Britain. #n the entire $orld

changes apeared" especialy in the mentality of the $orld. 'he (ie$ o(er the realation $ith

other is changed !y *arl +ar,s" $ho said that e(olution and change happened as a result of

social conflict" not of social harmony. -ar$in changed the (ie$ o(er the relation $ith

-i(inity and reud o(er the relation of people $ith themsel(es.

'hese changes in the $orld caused also changes in literature. 'he end of the 19 th

century $as the moment $hen Victorian /iterature era reached it0s end. #t $as also the effect

of $hat arold Bloom calls 00'he an2iety of the influence. 'he Victorian period $as the era

of great $ritters li,e -ic,ens" Bronthe sisters or 'homas ardy. 'he fears of the ne$ $a(e of

$ritters not to ha(e an original $or, !ut one deri(ated from the e2isting literature made them

to change radicaly their (ie$ a!out literature in order to guarantee their sur(i(al into posterity.

4hen this happened" a ne$ era started) +odern /iterature.

'he first $a(e of modernists ha(e as e2ponents t$o of the greattest no(elists of all

time) Virginia 4oolf and 5ames 5oyce. 'hey $ill try to $rite a ne$ type of no(el.

#n my opinion" one of the most important features of modernism and modernist

literature is the fact that it reects !oth the content and the form. #f in pre(isious no(els the

plot pre(ailed o(er other elements" no$ it is no$ longer important. +ore important than the

e2terior $orld !ecomes the inner one. 'houghts and feelings are the su!stance of the te2t" not

the action. 7o$ $e can see more than e(er into characters minds. Virginia 4oolf" for

e2ample" tried to capture ho$ the $ord loo,s li,e from inside her characters0 minds. #n To the

Lighthouse$e can see into /ily Briscoe0s mind" !ut also in other characters0s mind" in Mrs.

Dalloway $e read a!out the eponym character0s thoughts and eptimus0 ones and in The

Waves$e can see the $orld from si2 different points of (ie$" !ecause the no(el is made up


2/5


of solilo8uies spo,en !y the !oo,s si2 characters) Bernard" usan" &hoda" 7e(ille" 5inny" and

/ouis. 4e can also see this techni8ue in 5oyce0s no(els. #n A Portrait of the Artist as a Young

Mane(erything from the e2terior $orld is filtered trough tephen -edalus0 mind. 4e see the

$orld as he sees it. +ore than that" 5oyce used another inno(ati(e techni8ue) the $orld is seen

from the tephen0s perspecti(e at different stages in his life. 4hen he is a little child $e see

the $orld as a child sees it. As tephen gro$ns up" the $ay in $ich the $orld loo,s li,e is

changing. 'he fact that e(ryone ha(e different perspecti(e a!out the $orld is also suggested

!y the title of the no(el. #t isA portret and not 00the portret00. 'his may suggest that this no(el

is one of many perspecti(e a!out the artist.'he techni8ue used to enter into characters0 minds is the stream of consciousness"

$hich is also specific to modernist literature and is part of their ino(ations. #t is a style of

$riting in $hich the narrator relates e(erything that happens in the main character0s mind as it

occurs. #n To the Lighthouse" for e2ample" each section is fragmented into stream of

consciousness contri!utions from (arious narrators. 5oyce $as a pioneer of the stream of

consciousness techni8ue. #n the first chapter of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man$here

$e0re !asically inside young tephen0s head. 'he $ay in $hich 5oyce decided to start his

no(el made me fell confused" especialy !ecause it $as $ritten in a childish $ay" presenting

tephen0s thoughts $hen he $as ust a child. E(en it is a !it confusing" this techni8ue presents

human thoughts as they occur" $ithout any processing. A character can thin, in comple2

sentences" li,e tephen -edalus in final chapters of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,

!ut his thoghts can also !e a chain of phrases" li,e in /eopold Blooms0s thoughts from the : th

episode of the no(el Ulysses)00;ineapple roc," lemon platt" !utter scotch. A sugar


3/5


4/5


also reflected in the distri!ution of actions in time. #n To the Lighthouse the action from part

one $hich happened in one e(ening and from part three $hich happened in one morning is

spread o(er se(eral pages $eather the second part presents the actions from 1> years in fe$

pages. 4oolf paid more attention to her charcters0 thoughts than actions. pace is also (ague.

Characters can migrate from a place to another !y their stream of consciousness.

Another characteristic that is more important than the plot in the modernist no(el are

motifs and sym!ols. pea,ing a!out 5ames 5oyce in Axels !astel" Edmund 4ilson says that

he is 00sim!olic rather than narrati(e00. is masterpiece" Ulyssesis !ased on the %dyssey. Each

episode of the no(el has it0s referent in omer0s epic. 'he three !ig correlations are) /eopold

Bloom to @lysses" tephen -edalus to @lyssess son 'elemachus" and +olly to @lyssess $ife

;enelope. Edmund 4ilson also says a!outA Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man that it is 00a

simply series of pictures of tephen0s life as successi(e stages of his de(elopement. +ore

important that this stages are the !eauty of surface and form and philosophical themes.

All this features together gi(e modernist no(els another important characteristic"

something that $as0t used !efore !y no(elists" something that gi(e us" as readers a more

important role than !efore. @sing all this techni8ues the $ritter made us ta,e part at the

creation of the no(el. A no(el is not complete until it is filtered !y readers mind. Gi(ing us the

posi!ility to interpret e(ents and to thin, hard to understand one of them modernist $ritters

ma,e creators of the no(el. 'he shiftings in time and space" the flashfor$ards" the stream of

consciousness ,eep us in a continous a$arnesses.

Bi!liography)

1. Edmund 4ilson"Axels "astel

=. hmoop Editorial 'eam. A ;ortrait of the Artist as a oung +an. hmoop

@ni(ersity" #nc. /ast modified 7o(em!er 11" =>>:. Accessed -ecem!er 1" =>1D.

http)$$$.shmoop.comportrait


5/5


. hmoop Editorial 'eam. 'he 4a(es. hmoop @ni(ersity" #nc. /ast modified

7o(em!er 11" =>>:. Accessed -ecem!er 1D" =>1D. http)$$$.shmoop.comthe>.

Accessed -ecem!er 1" =>1D. http)$$$.spar,notes.comlitdallo$ay6. hmoop Editorial 'eam. 'o the /ighthouse. hmoop @ni(ersity" #nc. /ast

modified 7o(em!er 11" =>>:. Accessed -ecem!er 1D" =>1D. http)$$$.shmoop.comto

Innovation and Experiment in English Modernist Fiction

Documents

Transcript of Innovation and Experiment in English Modernist Fiction