During the twentieth century a new term came to be used in classifying literature and it was
called modernism. Modernism is not easily summoned up with one or two characteristics because, two
writers could have varying styles and still be modernist. T.S. Elliot and William Carlos Williams are a
perfect example of the varying styles in modernism. The reason these two may have differed from each
other so strongly could be related to their different backgrounds. With all the variations in style and in
topics written about how can modernism be summed up properly?
Written works during the twentieth century can not be summed up by simply looking at one or
two different characteristics. Modernism is, “ a term that more clearly suggest the lively disagreements,
multiplicity of styles, and plurality of movements within the broad revolution of the arts” ( Belasco,
Johnson 529). Modernism was the revolution of the arts that dealt with the current issues being faced in
the United States and Europe. Different poetic styles were experimented with including those from
east. The different poetic styles as well as the different issues faced, by the individual poets is easily
seen in their work. The only thing that the different poets could agree about was, “the necessity of
poetry, it's vital role in culture and society.” ( Belasco, Johnson 530). To sum up modernism is not an
easy task because of all their various differences in the movement, but at the same time that is also why
it is easy to explain. Modernism was the style that dealt with current social issues, allowed for new
ideals to be implemented, styles from different countries to be used, and to move away from old
exploi...
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...why he wrote in the manner that he did. The style Williams was trying to
push forward was probably never taught in the schools Elliot attended so, that also may have been a
contributing factor. Both of these men wanted to make poetry more important and they did accomplish
that, just in different ways.
Modernism was a style of writing that focused on many different things. Ultimately the goal
was to replaced old ideals with those that were new and relevant. Writers such as Williams and Elliot
did just that by writing in ways that broke from the norm and by doing so moved things forward. They
went about their work in different ways more then likely due to the influence of their pasts. Those this
may have caused them to have problems with each other it still allowed for poetry to become more
important in the twentieth century.
Modernism can be defined through the literary works of early independent 20th century writers. Modernism is exp...
The poetry by these two poets creates several different images, both overall, each with a different goal, have achieved their purposes. Though from slightly different times, they can both be recognized and appreciated as poets who did not fear the outside, and were willing to put themselves out there to create both truth and beauty.
Poets wanted to be known for their unique style and way of writing, giving themselves more of an edge over other poets, to stand out. That is what the Modernism era was all about, poets giving their work more of themselves. Robert Hayden wrote most...
of his era but was writing for everybody in any time. Maybe he knew it
Poetry is a form of literature that has been very meaningful and successful in history. “Poetry has a long history, dating back to the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh.” (Dodd) Decades and decades before the twenty-first century, there were very well known poets that sat and wrote such intricate literature. Many wise men using their own form, layout, rhythm and techniques wrote long lasting master pieces that are still widely studied in the education systems today. Four known poets by the names of Wordsworth, Woolf, Pope and Aristotle were all mentioned in various texts throughout the Jacobus textbook. After reading such passages, it was made known that Pope and Aristotle have similar
traits that would be often used in modernist literature. Although every writer had a different
Both Hemingway and Fitzgerald capture the essence of the modernist period, and both approach different aspects of the same genre. The goal of the modernist writer was to create an enjoyable piece of literature, while confronting issues that had never before been raised in the literary world to date. The Modernist hoped to wipe away the images of perfection in the imaginary realties of the literary past and create a clean slate filled with the reality of the modernist period. The Modernist authors will always be remembered for their exploration of language and form, and for their dedication to keeping us in a well lit place, in an otherwise deceiving reality.
The points of comparison these two writers share are that they were both iconic poets of their day and that they wrote in what is referred to as “black dialect.” The differences between them are their cultural and educational backgrounds.
The modernist period, stretching from the late 19th century to approximately 1960, is a very distinct phase in the progression of American literature, employing the use of novel literary techniques which stray away from the traditional literary styles observed in the time preceding the period. Modernist writers explore new styles themes, and content in their compositions, encompassing issues ranging from race (Kate Chopin) to gender (H.D.) to sexuality (James Baldwin), as well as many others. The Modernist movement, however novel and unique, did not develop spontaneously. A few writers leading up to the movement exhibit obvious modernist views in their writing. These include male writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman, both of which had literature widely published through out their lives, influencing modernist writers to come. There is also, however, another writer who, though lesser known to the earliest modern composers, was one of the first female writers to show an obvious propensity towards modernist ideals; Emily Dickinson. Though chronologically placed in the Romantic period, Emily Dickinson’s poetry, most published after her death beginning in 1890, exemplifies many modernist tendencies. Her stylistic oddities, such as her interesting diction, capitalization, rhythms, and use of the dash, as well as her feminist views, detach Dickinson from the other poets of her time. Once finally published posthumously, Dickinson’s writings came to influence modernist writers through out the 20th century. One writer in particular who “was immensely influenced by Dickinson’s poetry and sought to probe the extreme reaches of consciousness and truth just as Dickinson had” (Langdell, 84)...
Modernism is a literary movement, spanning the period from the last quarter of the Nineteenth
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.
Modernism began as a movement in that late 19th, early 20th centuries. Artists started to feel restricted by the styles and conventions of the Renaissance period. Thusly came the dawn of Modernism in many different forms, ranging from Impressionism to Cubism.
Many may argue that the Modernist movement was a completely new and unique movement within British literature. The goal of this paper is to determine whether or not the Modernist Literary Movement was completely unique or not. The similarities found in the works of Modernist authors and poets, such as Joseph Conrad and Hilda Doolittle (H.D.), will be examined against Romanticism themes and authors such as William Wordsworth. What will be found is that Modernism is not a completely unique movement, but one that combines elements from previous literary movements.
...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)
During the time-period when they authored this essay, the commonly held notion amongst people was that “In order to judge the poet’s performance, we must know what he intended.”, and this notion led to what is termed the ‘Intentional fallacy’. However, Wimsatt and Beardsley argue that the intention, i.e., the design or plan in the author’s mind, of the author is neither available nor desirable for judging the success of a work of literary art. It is not available because the author will most certainly not be beside the reader when he/she reads the text, and not desirable because intention as mentioned already is nothing but the author’s attitude towards his work, the way he felt while writing the text and what made him write that particular piece of writing and these factors might distract the reader from deciphering the meaning from the text. This method of reading a text without any biographical or historical background of either the poem or the poet practiced by the New Critics was known as ‘Closed Reading’. This stemmed from their belief in the autonomy of the text.