9. Modernism

Modernism was one of the most important literary movements of the 20th century. It appeared at the beginning of the century as a reaction against traditional forms of art and literature. Modernist writers believed that the old ways of describing reality were no longer suitable for the modern world. Virginia Wolf believed that the modernism began in 1910 after the 1st post-impressionist exhibition in London.

Modernists wanted to escape old ideas about certainty and objective truth. They searched for new ways of representing reality in literature. Instead of describing only the external world, they focused on the inner life of people. Writers paid special attention to emotions, impressions, and human consciousness. Modernist literature often rejected fixed moral positions and traditional narration. Authors used different points of view and experimental forms of writing.

One of the most important techniques of modernism was the stream of consciousness. This technique showed thoughts and feelings exactly as they appear in the human mind. The phrase «stream of consciousness» was first used by William James in 1890. (IT MEANS THAT WRITERS IGNORED NORMAL GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION RULES).

Industrialization, urban life, wars, and new philosophical theories influenced writers deeply. The ideas of Darwin, Nietzsche, Marx, and Freud changed people’s understanding of the world and human psychology. Among the important representatives of English literary modernism were James Joyce, Virginia Wolf, A. H. Lawrence, and Aldous Huxley.

James Joyce became one of the greatest modernist writers with his novel «Ulysses». The novel was published in 1922 and completely changed literature. It describes one day in Dublin in 1904. Two main characters are Leopold Bloom and Stephen Deadalus. Bloom is a middle-aged Jewish man, while Stephen is a young intellectual. Throughout the novel Joyce uses stream of consciousness to show their inner thoughts and emotions. The novel is famous for its different structure and constant experiments with language and style.

Virginia Woolf wrote «Mrs Dalloway» and «To The Light House».

William Golding wrote «Lord of the Flies» (1954). The novel tells the story of English schoolboys who survive a plan crash and find themselves on a desert island. At first boys try to organize a civilized society, but later they become violent and savage.

Aldous Huxley wrote «Brave New World» (1932). In this novel Huxley describes a future society controlled by science and technology. People are genetically conditioned and divided into different social classes. The government controls society through entertainment, consumption, and pleasure. Huxley warns readers about the dangers of scientific progress and dictatorship. He believed that modern civilization could destroy individuality and freedom.

Therefore, modernist literature became an important way to explore the crisis of human society and the inner world of individuals.