1 / 16

Modernism

Modernism. 1914-1945. Historical Background World War I. World conflict lasting from 1914 to 1919 The second bloodiest conflict in recorded history. 8 million died worldwide. Historical Background World War I: Economic Effects. Boom in Technology and Industry Competitive work force

joanna
Download Presentation

Modernism

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Modernism 1914-1945

  2. Historical BackgroundWorld War I • World conflict lasting from 1914 to 1919 • The second bloodiest conflict in recorded history. • 8 million died worldwide

  3. Historical BackgroundWorld War I: Economic Effects • Boom in Technology and Industry • Competitive work force • Jobs for women (women’s rights; 19th amendment) • Economic Security

  4. The Roaring 20’s • 1st radio station on air • Boom in automobile production • Radical change in women’s fashions (flappers) • General carefree feeling of security due to America’s growing economy • Flourishing film industry

  5. The Great Depression • Began in October 1929 with the stock market crash. • Longest and worst period of high unemployment and low business activity in modern time. • Millions of Americans jobless, homeless, and penniless. Many people came to depend on the government or charity to provide them with food.

  6. Modernist Literature • Themes • Inferred versus directly stated • Reflected lack of optimism, feelings of uncertainty and disillusionment. • Characteristics • Wide variety of new approaches • Fragmentation/stream-of-consciousness: omission of exposition, transitions, resolutions, and understandings used in traditional literature. • Juxtaposition of ideas, images, words, etc.

  7. Modernist Poetry • Abandonment of traditional forms • Use of free verse and improvisation • Clear, concrete images (known as “Imagism”) • Use of every day language • Unique typography and punctuation (e.e. cummings, for example)

  8. “The Red Wheelbarrow”so much dependsupona red wheelbarrowglazed with rainwaterbeside the whitechickens-- William Carlos Williams

  9. “This is Just to Say”I have eatenthe plumsthat were inthe iceboxand which you were probablysaving for breakfastForgive methey were deliciousso sweet and so cold-- William Carlos Williams

  10. Modernist Authors • Robert Frost • e.e. cummings • Carl Sandburg • F. Scott Fitzgerald • John Steinbeck • Ernest Hemingway • Katherine Anne Porter • Eudora Welty

  11. The Harlem Renaissance-1920s – 1930s • Following WWI, many African American soldiers were disillusioned to find that their loyalty to their country was one-sided. • Many moved to northern urban areas in search of jobs and equality. • Harlem became the center of a spiritual coming-of-age.

  12. Philosophical Divide Marcus Garvey W.E.B Dubois Sociologist; Co-founder of the NAACP; historian, writer Believed in desegregation and equal rights for African Americans in the United States • Leader of the “Back to Africa” Movement Believed African Americans should not assimilate to American cultural norms; rather, they should focus on going back to the motherland

  13. Jazz Age • Duke Ellington • Louis Armstrong • Ella Fitzgerald • Josephine Baker • Billie Holiday

  14. Harlem Art Aaron Douglas Primitivism Jacob Lawrence

  15. Harlem Renaissance Literature • Celebrated racial identity and pride, group expression, and self-determination. • Documented experiences of African Americans. • Raised America’s consciousness of racism • Opened the door for future writers such as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, and Walter Mosely.

  16. Writers of the Harlem Renaissance • Zora Neale Hurston • Langston Hughes • Claude McKay • Jean Toomer • Countee Cullen • Arna Bontemps

More Related