1. Choose a Romantic poem from the nineteenth century that you intend to rewrite in a way that incorporates typically modernist qualities Copy the text of the poem here
2. In a single paragraph, describe the Romantic poem that you selected. Focus on the language, style, literary elements, and themes of the work.
3. Rewrite the Romantic poem you selected. Focus particularly on making your rewrite read like a modernist poem in terms of its language, style, literary elements, and themes. Be sure to incorporate into your rewrite at least three of the six qualities of modernist poetry listed below.
Remember that modernist poems
- Capture the cynicism and disappointment many people felt toward outdated nineteenth-century ideas
- Focus on the complexities of modern life
- Highlight the alienation of the individual in the modern world
- Break with past literary traditions and styles
- Employ references to diverse cultures, belief systems, and histories
- Use experimental language and techniques, such as drawing a distinct line between the poet and the speaker and writing from multiple perspectives and in different voices