An Introduction to Modernism
Introduction
Modernism is an artistic and philosophical movement which reached its fame between the period of the WWI and WWII in Europe and America. In their book Modernism (1976), Bradbury and McFarlane describe modernism as “an art of a rapidly modernizing world, a world of rapid industrial development, advanced technology, urbanization, secularization and mass forms of social life”. The changes that took place at the time were not economic per se but also philosophical and religious as well. As the writers further emphasise, ideologies and arts of the time had their own share for the business: “the art of a world which many traditional certainties had departed, and a certain sort of Victorian confidence not only in the onward progress of mankind but in the very solidity and visibility of reality itself has evaporated” (57).
Questions for discussion :
- In what way is modernism the tradition of the new?
- To what extent is it different from previous movements?
Modernism Explained
The term modernism is widely related to different styles of life and artistic achievements spread between the WWI and WWII. It refers to a movement but which varies in use when seeking an explanation and application. Scholars and critics agree to what Harold Rosenberg calls the tradition of the new. Modernism carries within its layers a strict break with tradition and the traditional views of religion, history, and culture as static. As far as literature is concerned, the English literature written during the 20th century is almost all considered as modern.
Common Characteristics
Although it is impossible to give an exact and deliberate definition to modernism; a set of dimensions and characteristics can draw lines to a better understanding of the term:
-First, modernism is a conscious philosophical, artistic, and literary movement.
-It came to reject the preceding movements mainly Romanticism’s embellishments and the objective form of Realism.
-It is an avant-garde, a call for an original version of arts in terms of both style and content.
-It rejects historical continuation and knowledge as merely true and static.
-What is really there in the world is relative and highly related to perception.
-It advocates the inner indulgence within the self rather than purely outer concentration.
-Modernism is nihilistic; it denies any moral or religious principles. This led to repudiation of other spheres including politics, social sciences, and arts.
-Due to the rapid change (the scientific and technological advancements the world was witnessing) no philosophical or artistic achievements became static; everything has changed and redefining itself, the fact that caused disturbance and disillusionment.
Conclusion
Modernism as a movement had its own turn and literature in specific took a serious diversion in the middle of the chaos. Writers, poets, and dramatists challenged the traditional canons. The results were fascinating leading to an amount of literature diverse and skeptical.