Modern History 2

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CharacteristicsOfModernismBydefinition,Modernismisastyleormovementintheartsthataimstobreakwithclassicalandtraditionalforms.Thismovementoriginatedwhensomewritersfeltthattheyrequiredanewformofwritingtoexpresstheirideologiesandoutlooktowards life. Modernism enabled writers to pursue highly individualistic forms of writing. Thus, this style of writingrepresentsaradicalshiftinculturalsensibilitiesofthecorrespondingtime.Theconceptofmodernismtookshapeinthe19thandearly20thcenturies,a timeperiodwhichwitnessedthedevelopmentofmodern industrialsocietiesandrapidgrowthofcities.ThehorrorofWWIalsofedtheurgeforanewwaytoexpresstheprotesttowardsthesocialatmosphereprevalentatthattime.WriterssuchasEzraPoundandotherpoetsrejectedtheexpressivekindofwritingfollowedintheromanticandVictorianliteratureandfavoredamoresharpstyleofwritingtoraisetheirvoiceofprotestagainsttheexistingsocialsituations.However,withthecommencementofWWI,writersbegantoconcentratemoreonthecynicalpostwarworksreflectingthesenseofdisillusionmentandfragmentedthoughtthatprevailedinthesociety, leadingtotheendofmodernism.Readontoknowmoreaboutthisconcept.ModernismInLiterature

Formal/StylisticCharacteristicsOfModernism

Irony,comparisons,juxtapositionandsatirearesomecommonelementsfoundinmodernistwriting.Modernisticworksareoften written in first person and are quite different from traditional styles. In modernism, the content of the writing isrepresentedasalongstreamofconsciousness,justlikearant,thatoftendoesnothaveaproperbeginning,middleand/orend.Hence, thereadersmaygetslightlyconfusedastowhat thewriter is tryingtocommunicatetothem.Juxtapositionusuallyrepresentssomethingwhichisunusual,forexample,acatandmousesharingagoodfriendship.Modernistwritersuseironyandsatireastoolsthataidtheminmakingfunofsomethingandpointoutfaults,usually,problemswithintheirsociety.ThematicCharacteristicsModernistwriting,forafirsttimereader,canbeafrustratingexperience,requiringabigefforttounderstandtheconcept.Thisisbecauseofthefragmentationandlackofconcisenessofthewriting,whicharemaincharacteristicsofmodernism.Theplot,themeandthecharactersarenotnecessarilylinear.Modernistwritingsusuallyfocusmoreonrepresentingthewriter's ideas,opinionsandthoughtsandpresentingthemtothepublicatashighavolumeaspossible. Itcouldbeanoppositiontotheexistingsocialstructure,asocialpracticeoraprevailingideology.Somepastmodernistwriterswerealsoknowntocreatestylisticandartistictextsusingdifferentfonts,symbols,colorsetc.intheirwriting.GeneralCharacteristics

Modernismismarkedbyastrongandintentionalbreakfromthetraditionalwayofrenderingathemeorathought.Theconceptofmodernismdeniestheexistenceoftruth.Accordingtothisschoolofthought,everythingisrelative.Modernistsbelievethattheworldiswhatweperceiveor,inotherwords,theworldiswhatwesayitis.Modernismmaintainsabsolutelynoconnectionwithhistoryorhistoricalinstitutions.Accordingtothisconcept,lifeisunordered.Modernism emphasizes on the importance of companionship between individuals and celebration of innerstrength.

NewSenseOfReality

Modernismbelievesinrelative,provisionaltruthsandhence, itreplacedtheconceptofabsolute,knowabletruthwiththeawarenessof"reality".

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Modernistsrefusedtofollowtheteleologicalwaysofthinkinginwhichphenomenaareexplainedonthebasisoftheirendsorpurposes.Itsuggestedadevelopmentinthesenseoftimeasweexperienceitashiftfromlineartimeto"momenttime".Livinginthemomentwasanunderlyingthemeofmodernism.Modernismemphasizedmoreonanart'sabilitytoaffectthemind,ratherthanemphasizingonexternalreality.Letstakeanexample fromanart form tomake theconceptmoredecipherablepaintingswere "representational" inVictorianpainting,whichpresentednarrativescenes.Ontheotherhand,inImpressionism,therewasanattempttopaint thequalityof thesensationsstimulatedby thescenes.Movingon toPostImpressionism,youcanseeanattempt to portray the pure elements of color and form, an attempt to represent the perceiving mind and theaestheticconsciousness.Modernismfocusesmoreonepistemologicalconcernslikehowdoweknowandwhatweknowanditinquireshowthewayofthinkingisinseparablefromtheformofthinking.Modernismisareactionagainstthedominanceofrationalandlogicaldiscourse.

NewApproachesInModernistWritingCharacter:Thecharactersummarydisappearsinmodernism.Itischaracterizedbytherepresentationofselfasdiverse,contradictoryandambiguous.Style:Thestylechangedintoanimagisticwayratherthanonegivinglogicalconnections.Plot:Modernismdoubtslinearplotsthatcomewithsudden,unexpectedturningpoints.Alternatively,itusesmomenttimecontrapuntalmultipleplotsandopenunresolvedendings.Focalization:Modernismrejectsthesingle,authoritative,omniscientpointofviewthatcomesfromtheconsciousnessofonecharacter.Instead,ittakesonmultiplepointsofviewsimultaneouslyheldbyonecharacter..CausesOfDevelopmentOfANewThoughtModernismisaresultofasenseofachangingworld,stimulatedbyradicaldevelopmentslike:

escalationofwarfaretoagloballevel.newdevelopmentintheanthropologicalstudiesandreligion.newinsightsfromnewlydevelopingfieldslikepsychologyandsociology.scientificdevelopmentofnewtheoriesofelectromagnetismandquantumphysics.risingcriticismagainstBritishimperialismandtheideologyofempireemergenceof"cityconsciousness".shiftingpowerstructureslikewomenenteringtheworkforce.developmentofinformationtechnologieslikeradioandcinema.newconceptslikemassdemocracyandtheriseofmasscommunication.findesicleor"endofthecentury"consciousness.

Modernismgainedpopularityasaprotesttotheexistingsociety,socialinstitutionsandthewaytheyfunctioned.However,inliterature,itdeclinedafteraperiodastheworksconcentratedmoreonthewriterslineofthoughtinanabstractmanner,which made them difficult to understand. However, there are some writers who find this style more comfortable forpresentingtheirideologiesandfollowthisschoolofthoughtevennow.

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