Modernist Literary Movements

Modernism Literature

Stream-of-Consciousness

• A narrative technique that seeks to replicate the natural flow of a character's thoughts, feelings, and observations
• Characterized by:
  • Unstructured, unedited, and unpunctuated inner monologues
  • Free association of ideas and thoughts
  • Blurring of boundaries between reality and fantasy
  • Emphasis on the subjective, individual experience
• Examples: James Joyce's Ulysses, Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway

Imagism

• A poetic movement that emerged in the early 20th century
• Key features:
  • Use of clear, concise language
  • Emphasis on concrete images and sensory details
  • Rejection of flowery, romantic language
  • Focus on the particular, rather than the general
  • Economy of words and precision of language
• Examples: Ezra Pound, H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), Richard Aldington

Symbolism

• A literary movement that emphasizes the use of symbols to convey meaning beyond literal interpretation
• Characteristics:
  • Use of objects, colors, and images to represent abstract ideas or concepts
  • Multilayered meaning and interpretation
  • Emphasis on the irrational, the unconscious, and the unknown
  • Often features dream-like, fantastical, or mythological elements
• Examples: William Butler Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Wallace Stevens

Experimental Narrative

• A term that encompasses various unconventional narrative structures and techniques
• Features:
  • Non-linear storytelling
  • Fragmented, disjointed, or multiple narratives
  • Play with time, space, and causality
  • Use of multiple narrative voices or perspectives
  • Blurring of boundaries between genres (e.g., fiction, poetry, drama)
• Examples: James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, Virginia Woolf's Orlando, Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow

Absurdism

• A literary movement that emphasizes the absurdity, meaninglessness, and uncertainty of human existence
• Characteristics:
  • Use of illogical, irrational, and nonsensical elements
  • Rejection of traditional narrative structures and coherent meaning
  • Emphasis on the individual's alienation and isolation
  • Often features dark humor, irony, and satire
• Examples: Samuel Beckett, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre

Novels

• A key genre of modernist literature
• Characteristics:
  • Experimentation with narrative structure and form
  • Focus on the inner lives and experiences of characters
  • Use of multiple narrative voices or perspectives
  • Exploration of themes such as alienation, disillusionment, and the search for meaning
  • Often features a sense of fragmentation, dislocation, and disintegration
• Examples: James Joyce's Ulysses, Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time

Modernism Literature

Stream-of-Consciousness

• A narrative technique that replicates the natural flow of a character's thoughts, feelings, and observations
• Characterized by unstructured, unedited, and unpunctuated inner monologues, free association of ideas and thoughts, and blurring of boundaries between reality and fantasy
• Emphasizes the subjective, individual experience
• Examples: James Joyce's Ulysses, Virginia Woolf's Mrs.Dalloway

Imagism

• A poetic movement that emerged in the early 20th century
• Characterized by clear, concise language, emphasis on concrete images and sensory details, and rejection of flowery, romantic language
• Focuses on the particular, rather than the general, with economy of words and precision of language
• Examples: Ezra Pound, H.D.(Hilda Doolittle), Richard Aldington

Symbolism

• A literary movement that emphasizes the use of symbols to convey meaning beyond literal interpretation
• Characterized by the use of objects, colors, and images to represent abstract ideas or concepts
• Features multilayered meaning and interpretation, emphasis on the irrational, the unconscious, and the unknown
• Often features dream-like, fantastical, or mythological elements
• Examples: William Butler Yeats, T.S.Eliot, Wallace Stevens

Experimental Narrative

• A term that encompasses various unconventional narrative structures and techniques
• Features non-linear storytelling, fragmented, disjointed, or multiple narratives, and play with time, space, and causality
• Uses multiple narrative voices or perspectives, and blurs boundaries between genres (e.g., fiction, poetry, drama)
• Examples: James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, Virginia Woolf's Orlando, Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow

Absurdism

• A literary movement that emphasizes the absurdity, meaninglessness, and uncertainty of human existence
• Characterized by the use of illogical, irrational, and nonsensical elements
• Rejects traditional narrative structures and coherent meaning, emphasizing the individual's alienation and isolation
• Often features dark humor, irony, and satire
• Examples: Samuel Beckett, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre

Novels

• A key genre of modernist literature
• Characterized by experimentation with narrative structure and form
• Focuses on the inner lives and experiences of characters, using multiple narrative voices or perspectives
• Explores themes such as alienation, disillusionment, and the search for meaning
• Often features a sense of fragmentation, dislocation, and disintegration
• Examples: James Joyce's Ulysses, Virginia Woolf's Mrs.Dalloway, Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time