The Modernist Period took place between the years 1900 and 1950. Substantial events took place during this time. Finally, in 1920, American women were granted the right to vote. World War raged across Europe from 1904 to 1915 which, really, gave birth to Hitler and the Holocaust of World War Two between 1940 and 1946. Between these wars, from 1929 to 1940, the Great Depression destroyed the American economy. America did not join World War Two until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and when the Japanese refused to surrender at the end of the war, President Truman authorized the dropping of the bomb on two Japanese cities. The world was different after the bomb fell.
Three major ideas were developed during the Modernist Period. Sigmund Freud developed his theory of the unconscious mind, Karl Marx invented communist thought, and Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution which did not coincide with the ideas of creationism that many Americans believed in. The Harlem Renaissance took place during the Modernist Period. Jazz, the only truly original American art form, was developed during this time in New York. Members of the Harlem Renaissance like Langston Hughes, a poet, and Richard Wright, a novelist, wrote about African-American life, racism, and identity in America. Modernist writers often believed:
The American Dream was failing, in challenging the reality of everyday life, and in questioning traditional ways of thinking about politics and culture. Characteristics of Modernist literature include:
a) A departure from objective writing and a focus on the subjective. An emphasis on the experience of the individual rather than plot development.
b) Use of fragmented forms, discontinuous narratives and collage-like imagery connecting to make a cohesive narrative.
c) Rejection of "high and low" topics - nothing becomes, necessarily taboo.
d) Use of minimalism - where narratives are told almost by subtraction - lessening the amount of description in favor of focus on fewer, but more carefully chosen, details and images.
In separate 250 word posts, respond to two of the following:
A) What are the main characteristics of Harry in "The Snows of Kilimanjaro"? What makes him a modernist character? Is he sympathetic? Is he a tragic figure?
B) Address the form in "The Snows of Kilimanjaro." What are the major differences between how this story is told and how more typical narratives, like Babylon Revisited," are told? Do these differences make "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" a better example of modernism writing?
C)Research the term "tragedy" and apply to the character of Charlie in "Babylon Revisited." Is this character a tragic figure? What characteristics does he have that are demonstrated in this narrative that makes him one?
D) How does Fitzgerald demonstrate the ideas of the modernist period in his story? Who is the protagonist and what is the conflict? Does the protagonist overcome the conflict or, in the end, is he a victim? Do you find him sympathetic or do you feel he gets what he deserves?
REMEMBER: STUDENTS MUST POST THEIR FIRST POST BY MIDNIGHT TUESDAY OF EACH WEEK IN ORDER TO GET FULL CREDIT FOR THEIR POSTS.POSTS SUBMITTED AFTER 11:59 PM SATURDAY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.