modernism refers to the bold new experimental styles and forms that swept the arts during the first...
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The American Dream America is a New Eden, a “ promised land ” of Beauty, unlimited Resources, And endless opportunities. Progress is a good thing, and we can optimistically expect life to keep getting better and better. The independent, self-reliant individual will triumph. Everything is possible for the person who places trust in his or her own powers and potential.TRANSCRIPT
Modernism refers to the bold new experimental styles and forms that swept the arts during the first part of the twentieth century.
Modernism reflects a loss of faith in traditional values and beliefs, including the American Dream.
The American
Dream
America is aNew Eden, a “promised
land” of Beauty,
unlimitedResources, And endless
opportunities.
Progress is a good thing, and we can
optimistically
expect life to keep
getting better
and better.The independent, self-reliant
individual will triumph. Everything is possible for the person who places
trust in his or her own powers and potential.
Events of the early twentieth century brought a loss of innocence and a strong disillusionment with tradition. These events included:
1. World War 1 (1914-1918), which resulted in destruction on a scale never before seen
2. The Great Depression that followed the 1929 crash of the New York stock market
European modernist painters such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso explored new ways to see and represent reality.
In the Russian Revolution of 1917, Russians adopted socialism as the new system of government. Socialism was in direct opposition to the American system of capitalism.
Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, introduced new insight into the workings of the subconscious mind.
The 1919 Prohibition Law led to bootlegging and ushered in the Jazz Age.
In 1920, women in the U.S.A. won the right to vote.
New experiments with form and technique in both poetry and prose.
A new kind of hero who is flawed and disillusioned yet honorable and courageous
Questioning of traditional beliefs and social structures
Characteristics of Modernism Literature
Modernism is marked by a strong and intentional break with tradition. This break includes a strong reaction against established religious, political, and social views.
Modernists believe the world is created in the act of perceiving it; that is, the world is what we say it is.
Modernists do not subscribe to absolute truth. All things are relative.
Modernists feel no connection with history or institutions. Their experience is that of alienation, loss, and despair.
Modernists champion the individual and celebrate inner strength.
Modernists believe life is unordered. Modernists concern themselves with the sub-conscious
Post-War World WWI destroyed America’s confidence in
itself and its “superior” and “more evolved” civilization (remember Social Darwinism?)
Disillusionment is what many felt toward nations, governments, values, and social institutions (like the church)
Existentialism A philosophy The world seemed absurd, hopeless,
and did not make sense. Human thoughts express confusion
and disorientation.
The Arts This confusion and hopelessness
showed in the arts Modern Art developed, which often
does not have a theme or “point” but just tries to express a feeling
Artists tried to display, through art, that the world was absurd
Guernica, Pablo Picasso
Salvador Dali
Effects of the War Similar to after the Black Death:
› Some became hedonistic (self-indulgent) and tried to live it up
› Some turned to traditional values and tried to turn to the past
American Modernist challenged the American Dream, but they also retained some of its ideals.› The ideal of self-reliance persisted. › Writers such as Hemingway still envisioned the
American landscape as a kind of Eden.
Regardless of their experiments with literary form, writers still continued to ask basic, universal questions about the meaning and purpose of our existence.
Central Focus of ModernismBased on these notes, how would you
summarize the central focus of Modernism?
Discussion Questions1. Why do you think a period of major cultural changes
led to innovations in literature?2. What do you think of when you hear the word hero?3. Consider a flawed hero and a hero who has no faults
or doubts. Which one do you think is more heroic? Explain.
4. Give an example of an action hero or heroine in movies? What type of hero are they like—flawed or perfect? Explain.
5. Explain how the Modern version of a hero is different.6. Do you think self-reliance is still an important value in
American life today? Explain.