Modernism in American Literature 1914 -1945

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Modernism in American Literature1914 -1945

• Harlem Renaissance
• Post Modernism

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MODERNISM

• A literary movement that reflected
  disillusionment with the American Dream and
  characterized by its experimentation with style
  and form

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MODERNISMTHE AMERICAN DREAM

• America new Eden, promised land of unlimited
  resources. IDEALISM
• Birthright to endless opportunities expectation
  of things continually getting better. OPTIMISM
• All things possible for independent, self reliant
  INDIVIDUALISM who trust in his own powers and
  potentials

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Traits of Modernism

• Bold experimentation in style form reflecting
  the fragmentation of society
• Rejection of traditional themes subjects
• Sense of disillusionment loss of faith in the
  American Dream
• Rejection of ideal of a hero
• Interest in the inner workings of the human mind,
  expressed through new writing techniques such as
  stream of consciousness

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Stream of Consciousness

• Abandoned the usual format of writing following
  chronology, or time order. Instead it was meant
  to imitate moment-by-moment flow of a characters
  perceptions or memories.

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The New Hero

• A modern hero is a man of action, a warrior,
  and a tough competitor
• He has a code of honor, courage, and endurance
• Shows grace under pressure
• Thoroughly disillusioned with life

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MODERNISM effects of WORLD WAR I

• turning point in American life
• Marked the loss of innocence
• Created a strong disillusionment with tradition
  (especially authors) the idea of the American
  Dream

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Rejection of Traditional Beliefs

• Prohibition, rather than foster traditional
  values, ushered in an age of bootleggers,
  speakeasies, cocktails, flappers, jazz music, and
  gangsters.
• Womens liberation was huge during this period,
  ushering in womens right to vote.

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Harlem Renaissance

• African Americans contribution to American
  Literature
• Characterized by ghetto speech and rhythms of
  jazz and blues in their works

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Harlem Renaissance

• African American culture found expression in
  poetry in two different ways
• One was lyric poetry, easily accepted by white
  readers.
• The other way was through lyric poetry expressed
  as jazz music.
• This explosion of poetic expression is known as
  the Harlem Renaissance