Gertrude Stein: Miss Modernist
In 1914, Gertrude Stein put together a collection of her poems in to the book Tender Buttons. Stein pours her experimental nature into this book combining everyday objects with adjectives that are not normally associated with them. This forces the reader to explore a different perspective on familiar objects and to read differently then they have become accustomed to reading. Stein’s goal is to break up the monotony of every day life by bringing back common objects that have been so familiarized to the common person. By doing this she also breaks up the monotony of every day reading by forcing the reader to slow down and think. Even within the title Tender Buttons Stein does this as buttons are often pulled and
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The modernist movement occurred between 1890 and 1950 and is based around famous poets such as T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, and E.E. Cummings. The idea of modernism is to diverge from the past. Stein incorporates this powerfully as she reevaluates objects that have previously been standard similarly to how modernist poets revaluate old forms of poetry that have previously been standard. She causes readers to examine the difference between critical reading and creative reading. Readers of poetry often find themselves reading critically, focusing all their effort of analysis and comprehension of the poem. Stein writes as if she wants her readers to read creatively, putting little focus on the importance and seriousness of the …show more content…
In "Carafe, That Is A Blind Glass" Stein expresses that a carafe is both similar and different to glass. “Glazed Glitter" points to the idea that change may be unwelcome, but it is inevitable. In "A Substance In A Cushion," Stein pushes the idea that people must get accustomed to change because everything changes. In "A Box" Stein emphasizes that things are not always what they seem. Although these poems follow a general theme there is no logical story progression throughout the section. One of the most influential passages from “Objects” is "The change in that is that red weakens an hour. The change has come. There is no search. But there is, there is that hope and that interpretation and sometime, surely any is unwelcome, sometime there is breath and there will be a sinecure and charming very charming is that clean and cleansing" Objects, "Glazed Glitter", page 3. It speaks on the idea of change coming. How there is no appreciation of mercy and Stein demonstrates the concept of obligation. She also states if borrowing is not ordinary, then there is some use in being
In Stein’s book, “Tender Buttons”, she was also to use symbols to elaborate diversities of the meaning using symbols. In the object section’s a cup and sugar, “Enthusiastically hurting a clouded yellow bud and saucer, enthusiastically so is the bite in the ribbon” The whole poem have no words that is related to sugar nor cup. Because of its ambiguous but open feeling, people can interpret anyway using their own perception. Yet, the variations of the meanings is the consequence of differnet peception who have different walks of life.When we are little, though we are not concious about the enviroment, we have perceptions. In spite of the fact that the perceptions might be consiered naive but it is our
Throughout his argument, Stein focuses on the score's "word-tone relationship"--on whether the form (strophic vs. through-composed) and tone of each song, and even of each stanza, is reflective of Heine's poetry. In discussing song number 6, Stein asserts that "the ridiculous rhymes...ought to have warned Schumann away from his straight-faces, pompous, patriotic-religious treatment." Stein seems to be admonishing Schumann for ignoring what he thinks is an obvious sign in the text and therefore not capturing the essence of that poem. Midway through the chapter, Stein points to two more weaknesses in Schumann's composition: that he ignores the importance of the form of Heine's poetry and that he omits and rearranges poems, breaking up closely linked pairs of poems.
Rowe, John Carlos. “What Is Inside: Gertrude Stein’s Use of Names in Three Lives.” NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction 36, 2 (Spring 2003): 219-243. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1346127
At the turn of the 19th century Americans faced a multitude of cultural changes, involving contraceptive acceptance, sexuality changes, and modernism acceptance. Contraceptives were illegal in the early 1900s and posed many relationship problems between married couples since they wanted to be intimate. New ideas about sexuality and affection changed the views on appropriate erotic practices to indulge in within single people typically around college age. Women and men didn’t wait until marriage before having some type of sexual relation, which caused family problems and government intervention because of the negative views of being promiscuous. Modernism ideals developed with the introduction of new sciences and the argument of evolution
In the beginning of the twentieth century, literature changed and focused on breaking away from the typical and predicate patterns of normal literature. Poets at this time took full advantage and stretched the idea of the mind’s conscience on how the world, mind, and language interact and contradict. Many authors, such as Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, and Twain, used the pain and anguish in first hand experiences to create and depict a new type of literature, modernism. In this time era, literature and art became a larger part of society and impacted more American lives than ever before. During the American modernism period of literature, authors, artists, and poets strived to create pieces of literature and art that challenged American traditions and tried to reinvent it, used new ways of communication, such as the telephone and cinema, to demonstrate the new modern social norms, and express the pain and suffering of the First World War.
Modernism is defined in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as "a self-conscious break with the past and a search for new forms of expression." While this explanation does relate what modernism means, the intricacies of the term go much deeper. Modernism began around 1890 and waned around 1922. Virginia Wolf once wrote, "In or about December, 1910, human character changed." (Hurt and Wilkie 1443). D.H. Lawrence wrote a similar statement about 1915: "It was 1915 the old world ended." (Hurt and Wilkie 1444). The importance of the exact dates of the Modernist period are not so relevant as the fact that new ideas were implemented in the era. Ideas that had never before been approached in the world of literature suddenly began emerging in the works of many great authors. Two of the pioneer Modernist writers were Joseph Conrad and T.S. Eliot. The tendencies to question the incontestable beliefs embedded in all thinking and to focus on the inner self dominated. Old viewpoints were tossed aside to make way for the discovery of modern man's personal spirituality. Two works that are considered important forbears in the Modern period are T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
Wallace Stevens poetry was a huge part of the Modernist time period, and even was influential to how the movement was being shaped and interpreted as time went on. Modernism was a literary time period starting in the early 1900s, which
The Modernist period was a time in history when there were many changes. These changes varied from the American Dream to the literary styles and techniques. The American Dream became less complex and was more flexible than ever. It varied from the changing lifestyles to the change in literature. Helping to shape the nation into what we see today. People were focusing more on themselves and wanting to be known, and they also wanted to have money. Living life with an optimistic viewpoint.
It is a period when traditional values start to change.This movement causes innovations in science,art,culture,ethics,philosophy and psychology.It intends to find new or hidden meanings in the human experience.It’s main aim is to deal with new ideas.It is a break with the tradition.Modernist Poetry occurs between the 1890 and 1970.It’s key elements can be experimentation,anti realism,individualism.Experimentation means searching constantly.Anti-realism means to be against realism and concreteness.Individualism means to be an intellectual and to be an individual who has a self-confidence.The stress is mainly on the human mind rather than emotions.Many Modernist poets are from Universities,they appreciate their work a lot.It is a movement which is complex and diversed.It takes some of the important aspects from the movements.Modernism supports that every aspect from industry to philosophy should be interrogated.In this way,culture’s elements could be replaced by the new ones.The Modernist English poets write against the rules that are put by Victorian Poetry.They never deny the past poets or past works.They see themselves as they are respecting the earlier periods and other cultures.Their poems seem to be in longer form i...
Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot on Modernism On Ezra Pound’s quote on modernism, he claims that "the modern age wants a literature that reflects an image of itself: "accelerated" and mass produced ("a mould in plaster/Made with no loss of time) as well as superficial." This means that today’s society wants a literature that resembles itself, fast paced and shallow. Society want literature that is direct and straightforward simply because people find it too "time consuming" to think for themselves. They would rather resort to the "work" already being done for them. Instead of experiencing the true beauty of literature and the arts, they would rather use "Cliffs’ Notes ("the classics in paraphrase")." As a result of various "time savers," the people of the modern age are left without the feelings that only reading the literature itself would provide. The people are hollow, dehumanized, and utterly superficial. Society lacks creativity and originality. The people are left numbed in the sea of clones. They fail to give acknowledgement or praise to those who do dare to be different and unique. Instead, they are cast out from society for being different. Ezra Pound states that, "Introspection ("the obscure reveries/of the inward gaze") in this age is unthinkable." This means that the people are afraid to examine their own thoughts and feeling because they are afraid of what they will see. T.S. Eliot’s works, "Preludes," "The Hollow Men," and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" substantiate Ezra Pound’s statement. "Preludes," by T.S. Eliot, is a literary work depicting city life. Although it was written some time ago, it contains a universal theme and is applicable even in today’s world. Eliot expresses the lonely, isolationist environment of the city. The people of the city seem dull, dreary, fatigued, and lifeless. The city dwellers repeat their daily mechanical routines; there is no change or break in the cycle. They come home tired and worn out from a day’s work, sleep, wake up, head towards coffee stands for a jolt of energy, and off they are to work again. Eliot expresses that people put on false fronts so that people do n...
William Butler Yeats was one of the most famous poets of the nineteenth century. Even though William Butler Yeats wrote both Victorian and Modernistic literature, he still had a large impact on the modernistic style. “After 1910, Yeats's dramatic art took a sharp turn toward a highly poetical, static, and esoteric style” (nobelprize.org). Even though Yeats was considered a patriot, “he deplored the hatred and bigotry of the Nationalist movement” This concern was new in the Modernism era.
In conclusion, Robert Frost was able to captivate the minds and hearts of his readers by incorporating his love for nature into his poetry, and by having these natural images lead to a deeper truth metaphorically. After conducting the research necessary establish a research paper, it was easy to connect the events in Frost’s life to the themes and concepts of his writing. Because Frost did not necessarily associate himself with one certain literary movement, he was able to break the mold and write his own way. At first, his works were not so widely accepted, but later on, Frost accumulated the wide-spread recognition that he deserved. Frost was able to accumulate a large sum of awards, and was often thought of as the best poet of the 20th century. Today, Robert Frost is still thought of as one of the best American poets in the history of America.
...ople think about literary movements as reacting against earlier modes of writing and earlier movements For example, just as modernism is often seen as response to realism”. (Citation; WHAT IS AMERICAN LITERATURE? AN OVERVIEW; http://www.learner.org/amerpass/ampasspg3-30.pdf)
Modernism is all about individualism and breaking from the customary forms in literature ("The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The 20th Century: Topic 2: Overview." The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The 20th Century: Topic 2: Overview. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web.
Modernism has been defined as a rejection of traditional 19th-century norms, whereby artists, architects, poets and thinkers either altered or abandoned earlier conventions in an attempt to re-envision a society in flux. In literature this included a progression from objectivist optimism to cynical relativism expressed through fragmented free verse containing complex, and often contradictory, allusions, multiple points of view and other poetic devices that broke from the forms in Victorian and Romantic writing, as can be seen in T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" (Levanson).