The Modernist Literature

1. Modernist literature
Hina Chauhan
M.A. Sem:3
Dept.of English MKBU

2. The Literature of Modern age
 Endless in subjects
Infinite in forms
Countless in themes
Vast in topics
Limitless in structure

3. The term modernism is
used to identify new and
distinctive feature in the
subject’s forms,
concept,style of literature
and other arts.

4. -Chaotic situation in society- First and
Second World War.
-Period of significant developement in
various fields like science,politics,war fare
and technology.
-Most complicated,baffeling and
revolutionary age.
-Writers were interested in deeper reality
rather surface reality.
-

5. -Revolution against the Victorian age,
restrictions&tradition.
-Age of Science and Scientific discourse.
-Literature was influenced by Sigmund
Freud and Charls Darwin.

6. Literary Tendencies:
•Humanitarian and Democratic feeling.
•Realism.
•Passimistic Note in Modern literature.
•Religion and Mysticism.
•The treatment of Love&Nature.
•Psychological Treatment in Modern
Literature.
•Longingness in Modern Literature.

7. Literary terms:
•Symbolism
•Theatre of Absurd.
•Stream of Consciusness.
•Existentialism.

8. Symbolism
•Symbolism as a conscious movement
begun in France as a reactiom against
Naturalism.
•Symbols are basaically words which are
evocative and emotive.
•Symbolism is basically an indirect mode
of expression that suggests much more
than what is described.

9. Theatre of Absurd
•Absurd originally means “Out of
Harmony” in musical sense.
•In theatorical meaning it is different to
the everyday meaning of the word as
“Ridiculous”.
•Notable plays are “Waiting for
Godot”,”Endgame” by Samuel Beckett
and “The Birthday Party by Harold
Pinter

10. Stream of Consciousness
•The flow of thoughts and feelings
forming an individual’s conscious
experiance.
•“A literary technique used to express
the unspoiken thoughts and emotions
of fictional character without using
conventional nbarrative or dialogue.
•James joyce, Verginia Woolf and
Dorothy Richardson has used this
technique.

11. Existentialism
•A predominantly twentieth-century
philosophy concerned with the nature
and perception of human existence.
•In the view of the existentialist, the
individual's starting point is
characterized by what has been called
"the existential attitude", or a sense of
disorientation, confusion, or dread in the
face of an apparently meaningless
or absurd world.[

12. Conclusion
•The literature of the modern age is
shapeless but it is the age of
scientific discoveries. It is the true
Criticism of life and realistic in tone.