Scarica Early 20th Century British Literature and Culture: A Historical Overview e più Schemi e mappe concettuali in PDF di Letteratura Inglese solo su Docsity! The Twentieth Century U P T O 19 4 5 Historical context · By the end of the 19th century, life had radically changed in Britain: industrialism had completely changed society and thus the way of living. The traditional sense of community had been lost, and new challenging ideas were constantly being spread. · The supremacy of the Empire was fading as well. Ireland’s fight for independence became stronger, and by the end of the first half of the 20th century it was a reality. · The two World Wars greatly affected Britain, that had a key role in both. During WWI, Britons had a great feeling of patriotism both at home and at the frontlines, however, by the time of WWII that feeling had faded and the country suffered greatly. · The monarchs that reigned during this period were George V and George VI, and the most important member of Parliament would be Winston Churchill. Poetry in the Early 20th century: War Poetry · The consequences of the war were not only felt in society and economy but also in literature. · Before WWI and in the early years of the war, people regarded serving one’s country as the greatest honour, and this is reflected in the poetry of the times. However, this idealistic view of war would eventually change, and this is also reflected by later poets. · The war left deep psychological wounds in the minds of the survivors, and those who wrote from the frontlines expressed the desolation found in warzones. · There were many war poets, but two names stand out amongst them: Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen. Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) · Main poet of the early years of war, his vision of it was idealistic and highly patriotic. · He volunteered to fight in the war and obtained a commission for the Royal Naval Division, but died only a year later. · His sonnet ‘The Soldier’ (1915) is often used to exemplify English nationalism in the First World War. Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) v Educated to be a religious man, he enlisted in the war as soon as it broke out, writing home vivid accounts of his experiences in the frontline. v He started to question the need for war in society , emphasising the fact that both sides were human, and began to question God as well, since he felt He had abandoned humankind. v His poetry is very different from that of Brooke because his vision of war was realistic, he wrote about what he lived and saw: terror and desolation everywhere. v His poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ reflects these ideas. Modern Drama · During the early years of the 20th century, playwrights sought to impress and shock the audience with daring plays touching upon sensitive and controversial themes. · The main aim for these writers was to provoke a reaction in the public, which they often managed to do. · Amongst the most popular in Europe we would find Henrik Ibsen, whose greatly influenced the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. · Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) would be the main name in the drama production of the early century in Britain. His play Mrs Warren’s Profession, written in 1894, was never even allowed a public performance until the 20s, and his Pygmalion would be a revolution regarding exploration of language. · More than action, his plays are characterised for their thought-provoking themes and up-to- date topics, creating a space for debate rather than one of mere entertainment. The Modern novel · As other written genres of the Modernist era, the novels in this period are different from 19th century novels mainly in their exploration of the individual and their place in society. · The stability enjoyed during Victoria’s reign was over, and the novel reflected and explored a new period marked by a sense of loss: of community, of faith, of prosperity, etc. The traditional elements that linked society together were no more. · The well-structured plot of earlier novels was lost; the focus was now on describing and analysing experience, with not much care for how such ideas were organised. · Subjectivity was everywhere in the modern novel, and writers questioned the traditional heroic models: individuals could never be models of anything. · The main themes in the modern novel are loneliness and isolation, with a deep exploration of the complexities of creating a bond with other humans. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) · Unarguably the main female novelist of the early century and one of the most influential writers for the history of English literature. · Born in a wealthy middle-class London family, she would be privately educated at home while her brothers attended university. Married to Leonard Woolf, her life and works would be marked by her upbringing, the Bloomsbury group, her mental illness, and her sapphic affair with Vita Sackville-West. · Apart from her renowned use of the stream-of-consciousness technique, the driving force of her works was her rejection of Realism and her exploration of inner thoughts, as well as the discussion of feminist issues.
