Novels of Modernism as a Cultural Movement

ü Topic:- Novels of Modernism as a Cultural Movement

ü Sub:- The Modernist Literature

ü Name:- Vajani Bhumi N.

ü M.A-2 Sem-3

ü Roll No:- 04

ü Year:- 2013-14
      Submitted To:-Department of English
                             Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji,
                             Bhavnagar Univercity.  

Ø Novels of Modernism as a Cultural Movement

"The term modernism refers to the radical shift in aesthetic and cultural sensibilities evident in the art and literature."

"In Anglophone literature," modernism" more nearly describes an era than a unitary movement."

"Literary modernism or modernist literature has its origins in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mainly in Europe and North America modernism is characterized by a self conscious break with traditional style of poetry and verse."

The modern period in literature may be considered to extend from 1920s to the cold war of the 1970s modern period includes the war years and many literary and cultural movements in Europe. The writers of England and America were inspired.

"A key cultural artistic, architectural and literary moment and movement marking the early decades of the twentieth century, is modernism."

Ø      Features of modernism as a culural movement

§  The work possesses high degree of complexity in structure.

§  It is the tradition of reworks.

§  Work of there age are intensely self reflexive, exploring the process of their own composition.

§  The works of literature are often fragmented and nonlinear breaking up time frames and plots in fiction.

§  Modern work is city based.

§  It is also located in the context of empire and world wars of advanced military technology.

§  We find a great deal of experimentation with language and form.

§  We also find a great interest in subjectivity and the working of the human consciousness.

§  Some critics identify a sense of apocalypse and disaster in modernism.

§  This literature often rejects realism and the idea that art has to capture reality.

§  Modernist fiction 'defamiliarizes' or makes strange what is common 'make it new' is the modernist slogan.

§  Modern literature is highly elitist because references that called for great erudition which was available only to certain classes of people.

                 The term modern canes from Latin word 'modo' means current James Joyce ,T.S.Eliot, Doolittle, Virginia Woolf, Samule Beckett and American writers like Ezra pound are some of the exponents of this literature various movement and artistic theories that influenced 'modernism' are

Ø ----> Expressionism 

§  ---->  Impressionism

Ø ----> Imagism

§  ---->   Cubism

Ø ----> Surrealism          

§  ----> Futurism

Ø ----> Vorticism

Expressionism ::

·       Expressionism was a movement in modern art that first came into prominence around German artists. They were influenced by the works of Vincent van Gogh and Edward munch.

Ø      Impressionsim ::

·       The term might be derived from Claude Monet's painting impression the emphasis was an perceptions of objects rather than the objects themselves the movement had a limited influence around the last decades of the 19th century.

Ø      Imagism ::

·       Imagism was a movement in early 20th century Anglo American poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language it has been described as the most influential movement in English poetry since the activity of the pre Raphaelites.

Ø      Cubism ::

·       Cubism is an early 20th century avant- garde movement pioneered by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso the term is Groadly used in association with a wide variety of art produced in Paris during 1910 and 1920.

Ø      Surrealism ::

·       This movement aims at establishing a reality beyond the confines of reasoning it can be called a super reality where the real and unreal meet.

Ø      Futurism ::

·       Futurism was an artistic movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century it emphasized concept of future including speed, youth, technology, violence etc..

Ø      Vorticism ::

·       It was a short lived modernist movement in British art and poetry of the early 20 century it rejected landscapes.

                  Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Einstein and Karl Marx gave inspiration this time was marked by the division of the religious and the secular the increasing mechanization of the world the rise of industrial capitalism.

Ø      Non-Fictional Novels:-

§  Some notable features of modern non fiction are :::

§  Criticism acquired a degree of respectability as never before.

§  Prefaces and forewords in anthologies were major critical statements.

§  Many established writer’s practiced journalism.

§  Writings from philosophy, psychoanalysis and anthropology were influential among literary circles.

§ 
Polemical writings about race, class, empire and woman also began to appear.

                     Freud explored human mind, sexuality, childhood and personality with new notion his anatomy and sexuality were the keys of human personality. Freud's work was sometimes attacked by feminists and homosexuals. Bloomsbury group had Freudian outlook. The term 'subject' was used to describe the contemporary philosophical and critical thinking.

                    According to Freud identities are always multiple and fractured during this age one thing can be noted that write in the 20th century suddenly become conscious of their unconscious as it were the 'stream of consciousness' emphasis on the unknown territories and uncontrolled association of the mind.

                   "Taboos and prohibition were seen as repressive mechanisms of a society that sought to curb natural instincts like sexual desire the Bloomsbury group, for instance was Freudian in its outlook on sexuality the 'subject' was never to be the same again"

                    Fabianism was the movement that flourished in this period was the version of socialism James G Fraser influenced many modernists Frasers work gave numerous myths and rituals to the writers. Jessie L Western and Joseph Campbell were influential. Also the works of Claude Levi-Strauss provide to be extremely influential.

                   "Scholars in Cambridge oxford and many euro American universities profuse detailed terms on the past, many of which made available image for poets and artists. The pound era's interest in non European cultures and myths image and poetic forms the Japanese haiku may be partly attributed to the increased commentaries and anthologies."

               Orientalism continued approaching and appropriating the non European other into European literature and culture. "Orientalism is the process by which Europe studied disciplined controlled and governed non European culture. European scholars studied and represented the no European culture in certain ways through stereotype of the effeminate weak vulnerable and primitive native. It posits the non European as the backward, pagan 'other' or polar opposite to the developed." Said's work shows how knowledge about the orient leads to power over the orient.

                   Contemporary history writing, biography and commentary also developed rapidly. Literary personalities became very popular through their autobiographical accounts. Rudyard Kipling, Robert Graves, Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster and many other published their memoirs and autobiographies.

                  A.C. Bralley (1845-1933) was most probably the first major critic of Shakespearean in the last century. His Shakespearean tragedy (1904) is considered to be one of the finest analysis of Shakespeare, L.C. knigent (1900-1997) was also a critic of Shakespeare.

                 Edmund Gosse (1849-1928) revived dome's interest. Also he introduced Ibsen's work in England. He was a prolific biographer. as a biographer he wrote about the lives of Thomas’s Gray, William Cangreve, Jeremy Taylor, Thoma's, A S Swinburne and John Donne.

                 Watter Raleigh (1861-1922) was scholar of English literature at oxford. He wrote about Milton (1900) and Shakespeare (1907) and a critical account of the English novel.

                 I.A. Richards was famous for his 'principles of literary criticism (1924). William Empson wrote "seven types of ambiguity (1930). the new critics Cleanth brooks, William Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsly focused on the literary texts only. Their approach was formal with properties like rhythm, meter, theme, imagery and metaphor.

                 T.S. Eliot was a literary figure. He was social critic and poetry. His critical essay 'tradition and the individual'. His same of the works revived our interest in the metaphysics. He wrote essays on Blake, Marvell, Dryden, Milton, Dante and Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

                F.R. Leaws was one of the most important critics. He edited 'scrutiny' from 1932 to 1953 which is a journal. He believed that current development had diluted standards and that the cultural heritage of a country depended upon its elite intellectuals.

Frank kermode wrote distinguished and scholarly essays. He was a professor of English at Cambridge. he wrote an renaissance Shakespeare and the romantic writers.

                           Q D Leavis (1906-1981) is best known for her 1932 work fiction and the reading public.

                    Raymond Williams attired the course of critical thinking for generations. His work becomes interment in the formation of a new discipline, cultural studies.

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) wrote on women literature and culture she is perhaps the most significant woman writer of the first half of the 20th century.’ in a room of one's own (1929)' and 'three guineas(1938). Virginia analyzed the marginalization of the woman writer. Woolf said that financial and spatial independence were essential to the woman's creation of artistic work and neither of it was available to woman.

Ø      Some notable Features of Fictional Novels

§  In fiction this period witnessed massive experimentation with form and language.

§  The fiction was influenced by theories and philosophies of the mind especially Freudianism.

§  The novelists commented on the art of the novel.

§  The interest was increased in the workings of the mind resulted in studies of human subjectivity.

§  Politically conscious fiction and same political allegories were published during this time.

§  Numerous genres ranging from satires to historical fiction.

§  The historical context of the various nationalist movements in parts of the British Empire is crucial to the understanding of several authors.

§  Science fiction and fantasy emerged as important genres.

                 The age was the English novel the wide variety of forms the radical experimentation with language and style and the political agenda of particular writers all contributed to the novel being perhaps at the expense of poetry and drama the most dominant form of literary expression in the modern age some of the exponents of the fiction are:::

-George Orwell is quite famous for his allegories in 1945 he published 'animal form', an allegory and socialism. He believed that exploitation is always the key in any social structure his famous slogans----

'All animals are equals'

'War is peace'

'Freedom is slavery'

'Ignorance is strength'

                 Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) wrote gentle comedies, full of irony and mild satire.

                 James Joyce (1882-1941) used the English language with daring. he claimed his work would keep professions busy for centuries, and he was right his books Dubliners (1914), Ulysses (1922) jinnegan wake (1939) were full of minute details with human psychology.

            Virginia Woolf practiced stream of consciousness like Joyce “Mrs. Dalloway”(1982) “To The Lighthouse”(1927)are landmarks.

             Robecca West (1892-1983) was the pseudonym of Fairfield. She supported suffragette movement.

             Radclyffe hall (1883-1943) was the first major homosexual writer of the modern age.

             D H Lawrence (1885-1930) work Lady Chatterley's lover the white peacock (1911) 'sons and lovers' (1913) has remained favorite Oedipus complex was explored in his books.

            Aldour Huxley (1894-1963) is known for his brave new world (1932) in his fiction we don't find illness or poverty. Things are planned and controlled.

           J.N. Rowling wrote a fantasy 'the lord of the rings' (1954-1955).

Ø The Campus Novel

              It is also known as 'university novel' David lodge explored the quotation of research funding and the politics of contemporary literary theory with his portrait of feminism there novels reflect an ancient in universities about the fate of humanities the ethics of research and funding and the politics of appointments.

             Anthony Bugess (1917-1993) is popular for 'a clockwork orange'(1962) 'time for a tiger(1956), the enemy in the blanket (1958) and beds in the east(1959)

            William Golding (1911-1993) becomes popular through 'lord of the flies' (1954) which was his novel that was published after 21 rejections.

             Ivy Comten Burnell (1884-1969) wrote family fiction her novel lack a coherent and recognizable plot and action through the dialogues.

            Lawrence Durrell (1912-1990) wrote a major epic in ‘the Alexandria quartet (1957-1960). His themes are of love sexual intrigues and espionage.

            Alan Sillitoe (1928) wrote fiction about low life including crooks, prostitutes and the unemployed. Violence, lust, extra-marital affairs were common in his work.

            Jean Rhys (1894-1979) wrote the best selling and critically acclaimed wide Sargasso Sea (1966) as a reworking of the classic Jane Eyre she the symbol of the marginalized, non European women.

Iri's Murdoch (1919-1999) was philosopher and thinker. 'The sea, the sea (1978) was perhaps her best novel. Her novels were based on the reality illusion, myth, gothic elements, and hallucinations.

Ø The Popular Novel                                 

             They are also called mass novel. The novels spread across many sub genres, themes and issues. From Agatha Christi and p g Wodehouse to Isaac Asimov and Stephen king the popular novel has held sway in the 20th century.

             Agatha christen (1870-1876) was one of the most translated authors in the history of English language she is acknowledged as the 'queen of crime' she eroded the image of a quiet peaceful English village by creating horrific evil scenes.

             Georgelle Heyer (1902-1914) is best known for her satirical historical tales of regency England. Her novels often satirize the emphases on appearance and manners of English culture.

P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) is known for his bunch of assorted English aristocrats. Wodehouse’s portraits of the Hollywood tycoon or the Wall Street magnate were comedies of manners.

 The British popular novelist lord Jeffrey archer wrote kane and abel (1979). Archer specialized in the last page twist in his short stories like o Henry.

Joanna trollop (1943) wrote a village affair (1989) other people's children (1998) and marrying the mistress (2000). Her fiction relates tense family situation marriages breaking up, sibling rivalry and love.

§  Novel of modernism as a cultural

             Movement covered almost all the aspects of the modern problems most of the writers turned back from past. The provided various aspects they tried to focus on conscious and sub conscious despair and distress are seen in their work.