American Literature

American Literature Modernism 1900-1950

Modernism Definition: a term for the bold new experimental styles and forms that swept the arts during the first third of the 20th century Modernism called for changes in subject matter, in fictional styles, in poetic forms, and in attitudes.

Contributing Factors World War I Loss of Innocence Disillusionment Cynicism

The Elements of Modernism • Emphasis on bold experimentation in style and form to represent the fragmentation of society • Rejection of traditional themes and subjects • Disillusionment and loss of faith in the • American Dream • Rejection of the ideal hero • Interest in the inner workings of • the human mind

History and Culture • World War I caused a “traumatic coming of age” where “Americans returned to their homeland but could never regain their innocence.” • Soldiers from rural roots yearned for a modern, • urban life. (Nick Carraway—The Great Gatsby) • “Big Boom” business flourished—1920s • Major advances allowed for fast production of • new technology and business. • 1920 Americans—The Lost Generation

History and Culture (cont.) • The Lost Generation— “Without a stable, traditional structure of values, the individual lost a sense of identity. The secure, supportive family life; the familiar, settled community; the natural and eternal rhythms of nature; the sustaining sense of patriotism; moral values [founded] on religious beliefs and observations—all seemed undermined by World War I and its aftermath.”

History and Culture (cont.) • 1929—The Stock Market Crash brought The Great Depression of the 1930s. • 1930s—One third of all Americans • were out of work. • “Soup kitchens, shanty towns, and • armies of hobos—unemployed men • illegally riding freight trains—became • part of the national life.”

American Literature • The Harlem Renaissance • A time when Harlem attracted worldly and race-conscious African Americans who nurtured each other’s artistic, musical, and literary talents and created a flowering of African American arts. Noted writers: Langston Hughes Claude McKay Countee Cullen W.E.B. Dubois Zora Neale Hurston

American Literature • 1920s—F. Scott Fitzgerald —The Great Gatsby —flamboyance, bootlegging, money, parties, wildness —The Jazz Age • 1930s—John Steinbeck • —Of Mice and Men • —The Grapes of Wrath • —no money, migrant work, • tragedy, hardship • 1940s—Arthur Miller • — The Crucible • — Death of a Salesman

The American Dream Pre-Modernist View— • America as the new Eden • Triumph of the individual • Optimism Modernist View • America as New Eden • Self-reliance

Assignment • Read the remaining short stories in the Modernism Unit • Choose one • Using the elements of Modernism, evaluate the story • For example, you may decide which elements it best exemplifies, find textual support and analyze how the chosen evidence illustrates the characteristics of Modernism

American Literature