The Modernist Period (1910-1945)
Introduction
The Modernist Period of American Literature was an age of war and depression. The terrible event of World War 1 destroyed any positivity within the American people that was present prior to the war. The optimistic style of thinking was removed, and could no longer work in such a period. The writers reflected the negativity of the time, and included in their writings the extravagance of the wealth and luxury that some Americans were experiencing to hide their worries about the future. During this era, authors wrote about the reality of the world, the harshness that was brought with the World War and the lurking Depression and second World War, and their image of how the world was through their eyes.
World War 1 shattered the optimism and dreams people held in the late 19th century of a “better future”. Disillusionment, disappointment, and confusion were key themes in author's’ works, as the American population feared the empty hope that dreams held. The people preferred to enjoy themselves in the present, which was revealed through the partying and wealth that some Americans held. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a writer of the “Lost Generation”, is famous for his portrayal of this materialistic focus in his work, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald observed and wrote about the underlying problem of confusion and disillusionment, as well as the decline of morality, that was masked by the luscious lifestyle some Americans were living.
As a result of the breakaway from the past, poetic form changed as well. Imagism, a rejection of previous 19th century forms, became popular during the Modernist Period. These poems focused on evoking emotion and sparking the imagination through the direct presentation of images. Ezra Pound, known as the Father of Imagism, earned his name well as his works could be interpreted in a number of ways, even though they were short and to the point. A great example of this is his poem, In a Station of a Metro, which describes a simple train station. However, the words that are used can spark different interpretations within readers.
The Modernist Period was a definite shift from the positive to the negative, optimism to pessimism. World War 1 brought an end to people’s faith in a good world, and the harsh reality of the World Wars and Depression led to people to try and cover their disappointment and confusion with material wealth and enjoyment. The American Dream was now just a fantasy that could never be accomplished, and the American people declined morally with their focus on their present enjoyment.
World War 1 shattered the optimism and dreams people held in the late 19th century of a “better future”. Disillusionment, disappointment, and confusion were key themes in author's’ works, as the American population feared the empty hope that dreams held. The people preferred to enjoy themselves in the present, which was revealed through the partying and wealth that some Americans held. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a writer of the “Lost Generation”, is famous for his portrayal of this materialistic focus in his work, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald observed and wrote about the underlying problem of confusion and disillusionment, as well as the decline of morality, that was masked by the luscious lifestyle some Americans were living.
As a result of the breakaway from the past, poetic form changed as well. Imagism, a rejection of previous 19th century forms, became popular during the Modernist Period. These poems focused on evoking emotion and sparking the imagination through the direct presentation of images. Ezra Pound, known as the Father of Imagism, earned his name well as his works could be interpreted in a number of ways, even though they were short and to the point. A great example of this is his poem, In a Station of a Metro, which describes a simple train station. However, the words that are used can spark different interpretations within readers.
The Modernist Period was a definite shift from the positive to the negative, optimism to pessimism. World War 1 brought an end to people’s faith in a good world, and the harsh reality of the World Wars and Depression led to people to try and cover their disappointment and confusion with material wealth and enjoyment. The American Dream was now just a fantasy that could never be accomplished, and the American people declined morally with their focus on their present enjoyment.
Author: Ezra Pound
The "Father of Imagism"
Ezra Pound was born on October 30, 1885 in Hailey, Idaho to Homer and Isabel Pound. Despite being born in Idaho, Ezra spent most of his childhood just outside the state of Pennsylvania where his dad had taken a job. In 1901, Pound began college at the University of Pennsylvania and studied there for two years. After those two years, he transferred to Hamilton College located in Clinton, New York. He graduated from Hamilton College in 1905 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, and went on to work towards his master’s degree back in Pennsylvania. In 1907, Pound accepted a teaching job at Wabash Presbyterian College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. By this time, Pound was already writing poetry and knew that was what he wanted to do with his future. He left his teaching job in 1908 and pursued his dream. He boarded a boat and traveled for Venice, Italy, where he published his first book of poetry, A Lume Spento. He had been to Europe three times before, however, this time he set out with the goal of making a name for himself. While not terribly successful, the publication did allow him to travel to London in late 1908 where he met a famous writer and editor Ford Madox Ford and also befriended a man named William Butler Yeats, who became a close friend. While in London, he also joined a group called the “school of images”.
In London, Pound gained the success he had dreamed of as a college student. In 1909 to 1910, he published three books of poetry, Personae, Exultations, and The Spirit of Romance. Pound attempted to return home and start a successful career there in 1911, but after that failed, he returned to Europe. In 1912, he became a correspondent for the magazine, Poetry. At this job, he was able to review and critique writers and poets such as Robert Frost and D.H. Lawrence.
In 1912, Pound helped form the Imagist movement. The goal of this movement was to take poetry in a new direction. He and his other Imagists, including F.S. Flint, William Carlos Williams, and Amy Lowell, all worked to emphasize direct language and precise images in poetry. This form of poetry was a change from the poetic writing reflected in the Romantic and Victorian era. After awhile, he stepped aside from the role of “leader” in the Imagist movement and instead began promoting and befriending other writers, some examples being T.S. Eliot and James Joyce. In 1914, Pound married Dorothy Shakespear.
After World War 1, Pound wrote two of his more popular works, Homage to Sextus Propertius in 1919 and Hugh Selwyn Mauberley in 1921. In that same year, Pound moved to Paris for four years, and then moved to Rapallo, Italy where he would stay for two decades. It was here that Pound had his two children, Maria and Omar. By this time, Pound had begun work on his most extensive and famous piece, The Cantos. He published the first part in 1925, and then continued to produce additions to the long-poem in the years up until 1969. This poem reflected Pound’s interest in economics and his ideas about the world’s financial landscape.
During World War 2, Pound supported Benito Mussolini, the fascist Italian leader, and was arrested by U.S. Forces in 1945. He was jailed for six months and then put on trial, where he was considered insane and sent to a mental institution. In 1958, with the leadership of Robert Frost, Pound was released from jail and returned to Italy, where he wrote his last edition to The Cantos. Pound died in Venice, Italy on November 1, 1972.
During his lifetime, Pound produced 70 books, 1,500 articles, and contributed to 70 other works by various authors. He had started the Imagist movement and is known today as the “Father of Imagism”. Pound rightfully deserves this title, as his work in poetry changed the previous poetic form and sent it in a new direction for the future.
In London, Pound gained the success he had dreamed of as a college student. In 1909 to 1910, he published three books of poetry, Personae, Exultations, and The Spirit of Romance. Pound attempted to return home and start a successful career there in 1911, but after that failed, he returned to Europe. In 1912, he became a correspondent for the magazine, Poetry. At this job, he was able to review and critique writers and poets such as Robert Frost and D.H. Lawrence.
In 1912, Pound helped form the Imagist movement. The goal of this movement was to take poetry in a new direction. He and his other Imagists, including F.S. Flint, William Carlos Williams, and Amy Lowell, all worked to emphasize direct language and precise images in poetry. This form of poetry was a change from the poetic writing reflected in the Romantic and Victorian era. After awhile, he stepped aside from the role of “leader” in the Imagist movement and instead began promoting and befriending other writers, some examples being T.S. Eliot and James Joyce. In 1914, Pound married Dorothy Shakespear.
After World War 1, Pound wrote two of his more popular works, Homage to Sextus Propertius in 1919 and Hugh Selwyn Mauberley in 1921. In that same year, Pound moved to Paris for four years, and then moved to Rapallo, Italy where he would stay for two decades. It was here that Pound had his two children, Maria and Omar. By this time, Pound had begun work on his most extensive and famous piece, The Cantos. He published the first part in 1925, and then continued to produce additions to the long-poem in the years up until 1969. This poem reflected Pound’s interest in economics and his ideas about the world’s financial landscape.
During World War 2, Pound supported Benito Mussolini, the fascist Italian leader, and was arrested by U.S. Forces in 1945. He was jailed for six months and then put on trial, where he was considered insane and sent to a mental institution. In 1958, with the leadership of Robert Frost, Pound was released from jail and returned to Italy, where he wrote his last edition to The Cantos. Pound died in Venice, Italy on November 1, 1972.
During his lifetime, Pound produced 70 books, 1,500 articles, and contributed to 70 other works by various authors. He had started the Imagist movement and is known today as the “Father of Imagism”. Pound rightfully deserves this title, as his work in poetry changed the previous poetic form and sent it in a new direction for the future.
For a more in-depth look at Imagism and its history, click here
Literary Themes
The period of Modernism was a distinct contrast from the periods of Romanticism and Naturalism. The first World War had brought destruction and death upon the globe, and Americans weren't sheltered from it. People began to lose hope in the future, as all they foresaw was more pain and disappointment. People were uncertain about what horrors the future might bring, so they tried to enjoy themselves by living in the present and hiding behind their alcohol or wealth. Authors reflected this in their writing, as their works focused on the themes of disillusionment, disappointment, uncertainty, and fragmentation. Authors did not have any optimism about the future. They believed that anyone who was optimistic would not be successful or realistic in this era. This idea is revealed through F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby in the character, Jay Gatsby, who remains optimistic and hopeful throughout the story, only to have his dreams ruined and his life taken away. Gatsby was portrayed as being disillusioned, because he believed in a dream that was unreachable, but yet he put everything he had toward achieving that goal.
The theme of fragmentation was brought about due to the war. Thousands of American soldiers were killed, and their families they left behind were broken apart with the loss of their father or husband. The families were only "fragments" of what used to be before the destruction of the war. This theme is portrayed in Ernest Hemingway's In Another Country, as several symbols, such as the pictures in the building are only parts of a whole. The fragmentation might possibly have been the worst effect of the World War, as it left families torn apart and doubting what could come of their future.
The theme of fragmentation was brought about due to the war. Thousands of American soldiers were killed, and their families they left behind were broken apart with the loss of their father or husband. The families were only "fragments" of what used to be before the destruction of the war. This theme is portrayed in Ernest Hemingway's In Another Country, as several symbols, such as the pictures in the building are only parts of a whole. The fragmentation might possibly have been the worst effect of the World War, as it left families torn apart and doubting what could come of their future.
Important authors
Ezra Pound: The Cantos, Homage to Sextus Propertius, Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, A Few Don'ts. Formed the Imagist movement
William Carlos Williams: Spring and All, In the American Grain, The Red Wheelbarrow
Hilda Doolittle: Collected Poems, specifically Heat
T. S. Elliot: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath, Tortilla Flat
F. Scott Fitzgerald: Winter Dreams, The Great Gatsby
Ernest Hemingway: In Another Country, The Sun Also Rises
James Thurber: The Night the Ghost Got In
Carl Sandburg: Chicago Poems, The American Songbook, Chicago, Grass
Robert Frost: Birches, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Mending Wall, Out Out, The Gift Outright, Acquainted with the Night
William Faulkner: A Rose for Emily
E. B. White: Here is New York
Langston Hughes:The Negro Speaks of Rivers, I Too, Dream Variations, Refugee in America
William Carlos Williams: Spring and All, In the American Grain, The Red Wheelbarrow
Hilda Doolittle: Collected Poems, specifically Heat
T. S. Elliot: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath, Tortilla Flat
F. Scott Fitzgerald: Winter Dreams, The Great Gatsby
Ernest Hemingway: In Another Country, The Sun Also Rises
James Thurber: The Night the Ghost Got In
Carl Sandburg: Chicago Poems, The American Songbook, Chicago, Grass
Robert Frost: Birches, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Mending Wall, Out Out, The Gift Outright, Acquainted with the Night
William Faulkner: A Rose for Emily
E. B. White: Here is New York
Langston Hughes:The Negro Speaks of Rivers, I Too, Dream Variations, Refugee in America
Now head to the final literary period, The Post-Modernism/Contemporary Period!
