An exploration of Modernism

1. An exploration of Modernism • Learning Targets: • 1) Understand Modernism as a literary movement • and influence of The Great Gatsby • 2) Be able to describe the influences and attributes • of 20th century Modernism

2. What is a literary movement? • Trends within literary periods in which literature is unified by shared intellectual, linguistic, religious, and artistic influences • Refers to a period of time in which many authors followed similar patterns of writing or used similar subjects • A collective upsurge of critical approach to literature which is different than others before it and usually leads to new directions after it

3. the historical background • 18th and 19th c. - Brutal wars and unrest in the churches • Placement of man at the center of thought and exploration • Society becomes more secular (even though 95% of citizens claim a belief in God) • Nationalism of late 19th c. pinned ‘peoples’ against ‘peoples’ • WWI: technology advances, more powerful weapons (militarism) • Never before had there been such a “thing” as this - could not be accounted for, at least by the way of reason

4. What is modernism? • Modernism was a philosophical and artistic movement from 1910 to the mid 1960’s • Radical break with and from the past • Portrayed the world of men as a harsh, hostile environment in which life had lost its meaning • Men and women were isolated from each other, struggling to survive alone • This world is one in which our dreams are unrealistic and futile

5. basics of modernism • completely new, original way of looking at life • alienation from society, loneliness • procrastination, inability to act • agonized recollection of the past • fear of death coupled with a constant awareness of death • inability to express or to feel “real” love • ironic: attenuated emotion yet a sense of excitement about the future (that, incidentally never amounts to anything—a tragic struggle against disappointment) • world as a wasteland • inability to see self reflected in the surrounding world, in others

6. what it means to be a modernist • Traditional ways of life are no longer valid. Things in which men had traditionally found meaning (religion, patriotism, financial success) are no longer meaningful because of: • i) The horrors of WWI • ii) Poverty in the cities • iii) The difficulty of making a living • iv) Racism and injustice • v) The rise of new ideas (psychology, technological advances, etc.) that sought to explain away the magic of human existence • These things taught that human life is fragile, that violent, horrible loss can happen without warning, and that the plans by which we live our lives cannot protect us from disaster

7. what it means to be a modernist • The loss of meaning in human existence (“loss of ontological ground”) has made our world a moral wasteland in which: • i) There is no God, no universal plan, and no real rules for living an upright or successful life • ii) The world is unfair, and men suffer • iii) Human life is so complicated that men cannot hope to understand each other and language is ineffective in allowing for real communication or understanding • iv) Men and women are isolated and alone, and they must struggle alone, as individuals, to survive a hostile world

8. Novels are characterized by... • Stream of Consciousness • A literary technique which seeks to reveal an individual’s point-of-view by inserting the character’s thought processes in the narrative. • Modernists found validity in the internal world of a person’s thoughts and feelings. • Believed we all have our individual, unique view of seeing the world • Narrator is a character in the story (first person perspective), and we (the readers) have access to his/ her thoughts

9. Novels are characterized by... • A Description of City Life • The increase over time in the population of cities in relation to the rural population resulted in both positive and negative outcomes... • Gathering together of people from different backgrounds = creation and sharing of new ideas • Overcrowding = poverty and crime • In great populations, individuals become less important, and they become nameless faces in the crowd • Becomes possible for people to become isolated even while they are surrounded by others

10. novels are characterized by... • Characters Who Are... • On a quest to either understand themselves or to recreate themselves into something different than who they were born • Trying to live as meaningfully as possible in a difficult world • Attempting to live in a world that has lost rationality, morality, and value • New world is characterized by loose morality and transitory pleasures

11. Novels are characterized by... • Loose References to Time • Chronological order of events is often vague and/or confusing • Author is seeking to describe events the way the first person narrator remembers them • We do not remember events at exact times, but instead, retain hazy impressions of what happens to us • Time becomes more psychological (inwardly experienced) or symbolic rather than literal/realistic • Time is used as a structuring device through a movement backwards or forwards, the juxtaposing of events of different times, etc.

12. Novels are characterized by... • American Dream As Corrupted or Unattainable • As aspects of human existence (religion, patriotism, etc.) lose their meaning... • So does the idea that we can achieve our goals • Becomes apparent that the world is so hostile that our dreams have become impossible

13. Modernism and the great gatsby • Modernism offered Fitzgerald a new style and a broader palette with which to describe the recklessness of the 1920s • All of The Great Gatsby’s characters are representative of the modern world: wealth, social class, industry, and organized crime • Novel becomes a critique of what is wrong with 20th c. America • Work to depict the myriad ways the characters can become honorable and dignified in a world seemingly lacking both honor and dignity.

14. QUESTIONS???

15. In your Journals • 1) Identify a scene in which we can see and feel a character’s isolation. Why is he or she feeling this way? • 2) Identify which character you believe embodies the struggle to achieve a dream. What is he/she struggle to find/gain? What obstacles does he/she encounter? • 3) Which character is on a quest to either understand themselves or to recreate themselves into something different than who they were born as? • *3-4 sentences for each • *Label your journal entries as Modernism Connections