MODERNISM
(1914-1945)
By Fatima & Ravina
WHAT IS MODERNISM?


Modernism is used to describe a movement of
which was established during the 1900’s and
refers to the act of, “thinking outside the box”
thus evidently symbolising modern thinking.
It is also used to describe the start of leaning
away from the more traditional teachings and
aspects of art, architecture, literature and music.
WHAT INFLUENCED MODERNISM?

As with any period in time there were multiple
factors that changed the mindset of many people
and the way things were perceived, this allowed
them to develop as a collective and move
forward from what would be
suggested as being more
‘traditional’ ideologies.
WHO WAS WRITING AT THAT TIME?
THE WORLD WARS


o
People had witnessed and became aware
the horrors and brutality of war, leading
people to question how the world really
was.
In terms of whether an almighty and
benevolent being was really in existence.
Led to less
theological
thinking and more rational
and logical thinking  This
affected the mindset of people and
allowed for a more broader range of
thinking to be established.
 Structure of literature has since been
changed.
EXAMPLE
OF HOW LITERATURE HAS BEEN INFLUENCED;
WILFRED OWEN
“His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin,
If you could hear at every jolt, the blood come
gargling from the forth-corrupted lungs”
-
o
Extract from Dulce Et Decorum Est
It is apparent that literature had taken a dramatic turn, as exhibited by
Wilfred Owen’s poetry of which is known predominately for it’s graphic
detail and horrifying imagery.
- It was becoming increasingly apparent that life was not sunshine and
butterflies and this pessimistic frame of mind and way of thinking was
becoming more and more common.
MAIN THEMES
 alienation
frustration
 disillusionment
 rejection of history
 rejection of outdated social systems

Two World Wars' effects on humanity
 People starting to question everything

“ THE LOVE SONG OF J. ALFRED PRUFROCK” T.S ELIOT
And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep … tired … or it malingers,
Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head [grown slightly bald] brought in upon a platter,
I am no prophet—and here’s no great matter;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid.
ANALYSIS OF MODERNISM TEXT
Written in the form of a dramatic monologue
 Time frame – shows loneliness and frustration
 Biblical reference – rejection of history
 Past references to history
 Less solid chunk of stanza, exploring different
ways
 Structure showing the build up of tension and
then the small stanzas show the outbreak

INDUSTRIALISATION
Due to the world becoming more industrialised
and revolutionised this had an impact on the
way people thought
 Less traditional methods were being used. For
example, in terms of agriculture there would
have been no point doing things manually as
there was now machinery to take it’s place.
o Led to people becoming more open to change
 this led to a drastic change in many things.

MODERN ART
HOW DID INDUSTRIALISATION AFFECT
LITERATURE?
Industrialisation largely affected the world and
our way of life  The world was becoming far
more developed and this was displayed through
literature.
 The huge growth in technology allowed people to

become far more open-minded and adapt well
to change and this aspect of being able to think in
a more broad sense allowed people to also become
self-conscious.
SIGMUND FREUD


This era had seen the rise of
psychologists such as Sigmund
Freud who is famous for his
innovative approach to things.
He introduced the concept of
Individualisation
 Thinking in terms of being your
own person as opposed to becoming
part of a collectivist culture.
HOW DID INDIVIDUALISATION AFFECT
LITERATURE?

The ideology of individualisation
led to the “stream of
consciousness” literary
technique being developed and
writers had become more selfaware then they were
previously and allows one to
portray your own individual
point of view.
 Focuses on the character’s
subconscious and conscience.
OLD POSSUM’S BOOK OF PRACTICAL CATS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNCbharr18U
o Shows the similarities between human and feline
characteristics  exploring the human form  stream
of consciousness.