General characteristics of the 20th century literature

 Hello Friends!!

Here I discuss about general characteristics of 20th century literature. This task given by Dr Dilip baras sir.

What is Modernism ? 

Strong and international break with tradition against established religious , political , social views. No connection with history or institution. No things as absolute truth - all are relative. People make their own meaning in the world. Rise of mass communication. Celebration of inner strength. It was International and interdisciplinary movement.

General characteristics of morden age:

1) Experimentation:

            Modernist believed that previous writing was stereotyped and inadequate. There were many technical innovations. There was originality. There was change from the norm, or from usual reader expectation. There was rejection of the past. The Best Example of Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' which has utopian novel based on Scientific Experimentation.

2) Anti-Realism:

              

                  Modernist writers gave preference for allusion rather than description. World seen through the artist's inner feeling and mental states. Themes chosen to question the conventional views. Use of myth and unconscious forces.

3) Individualism:

                     Promotion of the artist's view point. Cultivation of an individual consciousness. Break away from religion, nature, science, economy, or social mechanism. Maintenance of a cautious, intellectual independence. Belief that artist and not society should judge the arts. Writing more cerebral than emotional.

4) Intellectualism:

                 Tentative work, analytical and fragmentary, raising question then answering them. Cool observations; viewpoints and characters detached and depersonalized. • Open ended works, not finished, nor aiming at formal perfection. Works are complicated. The subject remain important and not the references.

5) Urbanization:

                 By 1930 urbanization was increasing. It had started challenging previous arts and ideas. • Influence at that time was Marxism. Bertolt Brecht, Auden etc are example of the Modern Marxism. Example: T.S.Eliot's 'A Love Song of J. Alfred's prufrock'.

6) Art for life's sake:

                  Will of new Artists. Rejected the doctrine of 'Art for Art's Sake'. • They would like to The Modern society in their literary form. The Role of Realism in the Modern Literature.

7) Growing interest in the Social Classes:

Especially writers were taken interest in the Poor and the Working Classes. • The poor were no more helpless. • They posed a great challenge to the Society which governed by Upper Class people. Writers were captured the Condition in their work. · New psychological researches influenced literature.

8) The Role of Psychology on Literature:

Great influence of Freud by his theory 'Oedipus Complex'. He made three psychic zones: Id, Ego, and Superego which explain Unconscious conduct of mind. · Psychological works, stream of conscious novel, imagery, expressionism, surrealism and like trends came into fiction. Hopkins, Thomas, Spender too expressed psychological aspects.

9) Influenced of the Two World war:

The Modern age has witnessed the two great World Wars Wars. World War-1(1914-1918) and World War-2(1939-1945). Writer and artists began to produce work in which they mocked so-called humanity and present sordid realities of modern life. Sociologists and scientist began to find out about violence and aggressive nature of men. The novels began to present hard, terrible life. Example: Huxley's "Pointer Counter Point". War poets contributed a new realm. Grim realism, pity and waste of war were expressed by Rupert Brook, Siegfried Sassoon, and Wilfred Own. T.S. Eliot, Auden's poetry reflected result of war, disillusionment, despair. Example: W.B.Yeats's The Second Coming'.

10) Impact of Socio-· economic Condition on literature:

The disintegration of the village community was necessitated by rapid industrialization. Its profound human implications have been mournfully expressed in the literature by Hardy, Jefferies, Edward Thomas etc. The role of new economic theories of Marshell and Keynes, who raised their voice against poverty and changes the pattern of economic thinking. The great influence of Marxism on literature.

Thank you....