...Experiment in Modernist Fiction Modernism is a current which defines everything that is new in matters of art, literature or music. The main focus of our interest is modernist literature which is a subdivision of modernism and begins during the early stages of the 20th century, being seen in opposition to the traditional values promoted until the first World War. Many branches develop during this period (psychology, philosophy, political institutions etc.) and the realism of the earlier times is now rejected and replaced by the idea that everything is relative. Things take a new shift and the absolute truths vanish, leaving room for multiple interpretations and personalized opinions which are presented now, in writing. But how can one define something that has no clear conclusion? An element of this sort cannot have a finality, therefore, it is understood according to one’s personal background and experience. Modernist literature will always raise serious issues concerning the purpose and form of literature, questioning its former aspects. What are the reasons for writing a novel and what should a novel consist of? For example, the notion of “novel” becomes ambiguous in the mind of Virginia Woolf, who declared after writing “Mrs. Dalloway” that “I’m glad to be quit this time of writing a novel, and hope never to be accused of it again.” Next to Virginia Woolf which is believed to be one of the greatest modern authors, the faithful readers come across names like James Joyce...
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...governed by God's will, and that each person and thing in this world had a specific use. 3 MODERNISM was a cultural movement which rebelled against Victorian colonization views. VICTORIANS saw the world as neatly divided between ‘civilized’ and ‘savage’ peoples. The civilized were those from industrialized nations, cash-based economies, Protestant Christian traditions, and patriarchal societies; the savage were those from agrarian or huntergatherer tribes, barter-based economies, pagan or totemistic traditions, and matriarchal (or at least unmanly societies). 4 MODERNISTS weighed humanism over nationalism and argued for cultural relativism. MODERNISTS emphasized the ways in which humans were part of and responsible to nature. MODERNISTS argued for multiple ways of looking at the world and blurred the Victorian dichotomies by presenting antiheroes and other uncategorizable characters. MODERNISTS challenged the idea...
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...Modernists and Imagists: How do the poems of the modernists and imagists represent public opinion and sentiment during and after WWI? What "emotions" or "attitude" do these poems convey? What commentary do they make on the quality or meaning of life at that time? What unified message do these writers convey to their readers? Modernists and imagists tried to represent the loss of the sense of optimism that the people had before the World War I. The people of that time started to doubt the ideas and values they had that brought them into the war, they started to look for more modern ideas. Modernists and imagists both tried to show the harsh realities of everyday life to their readers. In T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, Prufrock personifies the feelings that people of that time had. Prufrock expresses the chaos and hopelessness that the people felt after the war. He is a pessimistic and unconfident man who lives in fear. Modernists sought to reflect the modern world and culture, while imagists tried to give readers a clear image of what they were trying to express in their writings. Imagists used clear and sharp language to produce images in readers’ minds. They were strongly against sentimentality, and they did not follow the traditional forms of poetry. Imagism was also strongly influenced by traditional Chinese and Japanese poetry. “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams is an example of imagist poetry. In this poem, Williams manages...
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...Part A: Theorising the organisation (worth 50% of the overall marks for the assignment) Modern, symbolic-interpretive, post-modern and critical theory perspectives provide us different ways to analyse and understand organisations and organisational behaviour. Choose two of the four theoretical perspectives and discuss how each perspective provides us different ways to analyse and understand organisations and organisational behaviour. The two perspectives that I have chosen are the Modernist perspective and Symbolic-interpretive perspective. A Modernist perspective caaries the believe that the very idea of knowledge would never be complete and that behind every fact hides many more. It is with this believe that followers of the perspective would analyse the world by testing the ideas they gather against the very nature they observe using their five senses. Results from this tests, should they always return the same result, would than be considered a fact. This fact is than considered a ‘truth’ and is thus treasured and recorded. One of the main studies that is the result of such a perspective that of the General System Theory, originally put forth by Bertalanffy from as early as 1950. The study was concerned with the ways in which individuals and groups bond and is used to identify the presence of systems and the way they interrelate with each other to form other systems or to become part of a system themselves. He noted that the subsystems, systems present within...
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...Modernistic is the Choice A modernist writer can include a variety of philosophical movements from symbolism or surrealism to expressionism and imaginism. The modernistic writer does not seem to carry a specific definition but a basic breaking away from the entire history of art and literature. “Modernist literature is characterized chiefly by a rejection of 19th-century traditions and of their consensus between author and reader” (Baldick 159). The writers wanted to develop and introduce completely new forms of literature that were more of the times which intensified after World War I. The desire for the importance of literature in the modern world was the typical belief of most modernist writers, which included Frost. Robert Frost is a modern poet due to his poetry having been awarded with the mindfulness of the problems of man living in the modern world. Science and Technology were dominating the modern world of the times. Frost was quoted to say "The object in writing poetry is to make all poems sound as different as possible from each other. But for this, in addition to the tricks any poet knows, we need the help of context--meaning--subject matter. That is the greatest help towards variety. All that can be done with words is soon told. So also with meters. . . . The possibilities for tune from the dramatic tones of meaning struck across the rigidity of a limited meter are endless. And we are back in poetry as merely one more art of having something to say, sound...
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...Bergson came up with theories, which opposed the idea of time as an objective reality. According to them, time is never objective because it always depends on private experience of an individual. They claimed that time, like human consciousness, cannot be seen as linear, moving from one moment to the next, because time in human mind changes constatntly. It moves without any logic or reason from present to past and future. Simply, in our mind past, present and future can be experienced at the same moment. In his theory of duration, Henri Bergson explains that there are two times: private, or internal time, which is the real authentic time, and standard, public or clock time, which is, in fact, a mere social, artificial construct.[1] Modernist writers, such as James Joyce or Virginia Woolf were fascinated by the theories of time, which influenced greatly their works. In Mrs Dalloway, (1925), which may be considered 'the first important work of the literary period initiated by Ulysses'[2], Woolf is concerned with both, public and private time. In Mrs Dalloway, the public, or the clock time, is represented by the striking of Big Ben, the symbol of England and the precise time. The striking of the hours is repeated throughout the novel as a reminder of time, which restricts the lives of the characters, reminding them constantly of the time and their life passing, of their mortality. Clarsissa Dalloway and Peter Walsh are in their middle ages, period of lives, when they tend...
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...Our world has been designed with heavy influences from certain ideas and individuals. To list each by name would take days and maybe even years. But for those who have had their stamp on society, may always endure criticism. And those critics provoke thought, which in turn breeds “new” ideas. This is the basis for America’s society: freedom. Each citizen has the right to think as they wish, and speak their beliefs. But freedom hasn’t come cheap. America struggled to separate from Britain in the 19th century. The successful parting of Britain’s rule and authority can often be seen as undervalued in terms of culture development. Not to say that thinkers and doers didn’t exist beyond the boundaries, but, as a group, Americans have led the charge in paving the way for future existence. Much of the foundational work was done in the 18th and 19th centuries. Early in the 1800’s, the power of steam was invented, which led to the great Industrial Revolution and its successor, the second Industrial Revolution. During the times of this revolution, people were working more often and increasing their money flow. More people with more money equated to better and longer lives, as they were now able to provide for themselves and their growing families. But as many know, with money comes greed. Social Darwinism’s “most fit”, brought about some ugly and often embarrassing times for America. Slavery was instilled as an idea suggesting power of wealth, and means of lowering the cost of production...
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...Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 i RTNA01 1 13/6/05, 5:28 PM READING THE NOVEL General Editor: Daniel R. Schwarz The aim of this series is to provide practical introductions to reading the novel in both the British and Irish, and the American traditions. Published Reading the Modern British and Irish Novel 1890–1930 Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Daniel R. Schwarz Brian W. Shaffer Forthcoming Reading the Eighteenth-Century Novel Paula R. Backscheider Reading the Nineteenth-Century Novel Harry E. Shaw and Alison Case Reading the American Novel 1780–1865 Shirley Samuels Reading the American Novel 1865–1914 G. R. Thompson Reading the Twentieth-Century American Novel James Phelan ii RTNA01 2 13/6/05, 5:28 PM Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Brian W. Shaffer iii RTNA01 3 13/6/05, 5:28 PM © 2006 by Brian W. Shaffer BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Brian W. Shaffer to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and...
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...ASSIGNMENT MODERNIST SHORT STORY Submitted By: Steffy Johnson 11/PELA/026 INTRODUCTION Modernist literature is the literary expression of the tendencies of Modernism, especially High modernism. Modernistic art and literature normally revolved around the idea of individualism, mistrust of institutions mainly government and religion, and the disbelief of any absolute truths. Modernism as a literary movement reached its height in Europe between 1900 and the middle 1920s. Modernist literature addressed to aesthetic problems and can be viewed largely in terms of its formal, stylistic and semantic movement away from Romanticism, examining subject matter that is traditionally mundane. It often features a marked pessimism, a clear rejection of the optimism apparent in Victorian literature. It attempted to move from the bonds of Realist literature and to introduce concepts such as disjointed timelines. Modernism as a literary movement is seen, in large part, as a reaction to the emergence of city life as a central force in society. Furthermore, an early attention to the object as freestanding became in later Modernism a preoccupation with form. Modernist writers were more acutely conscious of the objectivity of their surroundings. The most prominent modernist authors are: T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, D. H. Lawrence, E. M. Forster, Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Conrad, Franz Kafka, Knut Hamsun, Gertrude Stein, Mikhail Bulgakov, MarcelProust, John Steinbeck...
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...Q3: Characterization in To the Lighthouse is presented in terms of multiple perspectives. Elaborate on this statement demonstrating the influence of this method of presenting on characterization in the novel and significance of the modernist style of writing which emphasizes the alternation between consciousnesses of character. To the Lighthouse is considered as one of Virginia Woolf most famous novels. The story deals with the Ramsay family experiences while staying at their home in Cornwall. In To the Lighthouse novel, the main concern is within Mrs. Ramsay’s thoughts and emotions. The narrator in the novel introduces to us a very different world than the one we’re living in: the world inside somebody else’s head. Woolf chose to write this novel in a very strange and complex way using unfamiliar techniques. This unique technique of writing was achieved with the use of the multiple perspective and the stream of consciousness techniques. Each character in the novel is presented through multiple perspectives. Thus, the readers cannot decide on a single interpretation or agree on the same analysis for each character. Mrs. Ramsay. For example, is a charmingly good woman with good personality, yet she is concerned with the other characters’ lives and ends up interfering in them a lot. She also cares for everybody, considering her own thoughts and ignoring others’, and this is clear when she advises Lily to marry William Banke, an old friend of the Ramsay family. This shows...
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...with war even in modern times. Wallace Stevens’ poem, “The Death of a Soldier” portrays that death as instant and dispassionate for the falling Soldier; he metaphorically compares it to the season of autumn because leaves falls from the tree branches with discomfiture. Just as the Soldier falls in battle field, the leaf in autumn falls swiftly without any memorials because nobody mourns. Wallace stated that “As in a season of autumn. The soldier falls. He does not become a three-day personage, imposing his separation, calling for pomp.” This declaration echoes that no expectation of memorial is mandatory when a Soldier dies during his patriotic act of fighting for his country instead they are quickly forgotten. His view as a modernist poet about the life and death of a soldier is metaphysical in meaning since he believes that death is not in any way a life event that is celebrated for or by any fallen Soldier. William Faulkner’s poem “Two Soldier” relatively regarded war as though inevitable gives the opportunity for one to show his dedication and patriotism towards his own country but when one dies fighting for his country, he is forgotten because war victims (Soldier(s) has no glory attach to death. He also depicted two brothers (Pete and the narrator) who loved each other so much that nothing will separate them but when the older brother Pete...
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...THE WASTE LAND In brief, The Waste Land is a 433-line modernist poem by T. S Eliot published in 1922. It has been called “one of the most important poems of the 20th century.” Despite the poem’s obscurity which it shifts between satire and prophecy, its abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location and time, its elegiac but intimidating summoning up of a vast and dissonant range of cultures and literatures has made the poem to be a familiar touchstone of modern literature. The poem has been written in five parts. The five parts of The Waste Land are titled “The Burial of the Dead”, “A Game of Chess”, “The Fire Sermon”, “Death by Water”, and “What the Thunder Said”. The Waste Land is an allusive and complex poem. As such, it is subject to a variety of interpretations, and no two critics agree completely on its meaning. It may be interpreted on three levels: the person, the society, and the human race. The personal interpretation seeks to reveal Eliot's feelings and intentions in writing the poem. At the society level, a critic looks for the meaning of the poem in relation to the society for which it was written. Finally, the human level extends the societal level to include all human societies past, present, and future (Thompson, 1963). The question of literary value is complex. We must distinguish, first of all, between the importance of literature in our lives and the importance of any specific text. Literature defines and creates our world. In poems, plays, novels...
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...people, things, knowledge and technologies. Modernists’ assumption of reality is objectivism and view organizations are real entities which exist in the objective world. Organizations are viewed as real entities driven by rationality to achieve efficiency and organizational objectives/goals. When organizations are well-managed, they are systems of decision and action driven by norms of rationality, efficiency and effectiveness for stated purposes. Similar to modernists, critical theorists’ ontology is also objectivism, and organizations are real entities which exist in the objective world. However, critical theorists view organizations as objects used by capitalists for the exploitation and alienation of workers and the environment. Symbolic interpretivists believe that reality is subjective, and only exists if we give meaning to it. As such, organizations are socially constructed realities which are constructed and reconstructed by their members through symbolically mediated interaction. Without its members giving meaning to it, an organization does not exist. Postmodernists suggest that reality is constructed through language and discourse. Organizations are ‘imagined’ entities whereby power and social arrangements are reinforced through language and discourse. C. Epistemology Epistemology is defined as knowing how u can know. It is concerned with how human form knowledge and establish criteria for evaluating it. Modernist relates to positivist epistemology which assumes...
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...comes to the management of an organization. Modernists are objectivists who focus on reality of knowledge which is build based upon the conceptualization and the theorization. An Example would be that a company earns profits based on the CEO’s ability to make right decisions while investing the money of an organization. The results of the actions can be measured in profit and loss and can be directly measured. The data which modernists recognize are from the five senses, through what they see, heard, touch, smell and tasted. Modern Perspective builds a set of rules that can be used in organization so that all employees will be able to follow, perform and function, ensuring the entire process in the organization runs smoothly. Modernists do not take into account the symbolic perspective of looking outside of the five senses and looking at emotion and intuition (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006). This essay is an example of a student's work Disclaimer This essay has been submitted to us by a student in order to help you with your studies. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers. Essay Writing Service Essay Marking Service Example Essays Who wrote this essay Become a Freelance Writer Place an Order Modernists support the rationalization of organizational practices, as reflected in management research since the writings of early pioneers such as Max Weber and Frederick Taylor (Miller 2009). Modernists tend to deal with results or organized states...
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...1920’s was an exciting time in America, however there was a immense clash between modern and traditional views. One of the most contradicting views that these two groups had was whether to believe religion over science or vice versa. Traditionalist favored religion while modernist favored science. In a Tennessee high school in the year of 1925, John Scopes; a substitute teacher, was accused of teaching evolution to a state funded school. This went against Tennessee’s Butler Act, which stated that it was unlawful to teach...
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