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Modernism was a prominent period of creativity that was provoked by the grim reality of the twentieth century. The pressure from a multitude of societal issues, two World Wars, and rapid technological advances appear to have influenced modernism in a way that made many authors question the line between pessimism and realism. This essay will analyze what themes lie at the core of modernism on the examples from the suggested reading.
I have noticed that there are not many mentions of love within the works proposed for reading. Texts that include love in their plot use it to create tension or show anxiety, such as The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by Thomas Eliot. Disillusionment, which is one of the main topics among writers in the post-war period, is recognizable in Buffalo Bill s by Edward Cummings. Instead, there is an increased number of mentions of hostility, especially passive-aggressive behavior. This emotion is well-written in the short story by Ernest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants, where the two main characters remain together despite apparent negativity between them (Hemingway). Melancholic feelings are also present, such as in September, 1918 by Amy Lowell.
The inability to escape from past mistakes permeates several texts from the reading. Babylon Revisited by Francis Scott Fitzgerald and September, 1918 by Amy Lowell provide a glaring example of the damage from the past that still haunts the present. Moreover, responsibility is put at a higher position above feelings and emotions. Despite being one of the shortest poems, The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams exemplifies this idea by using a garden tool as a centerpiece.
In conclusion, modernists works reflect the feeling of people who were caught in the constant stream of events that affect their lives without their concern. There is a significant trace of anxiety, yet there is also defiance that shows the willingness to fight for a place in the rapidly changing society. Wars left their imprint on the literary works of the twentieth century, where duty and self-reflection became highly valued.
Work Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants: Short Story. HarperCollins Canada, 2013.
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