Scarica Il Modernismo in Inghilterra e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Modernism In England Upon Victoria’s death, a period called Edwardian age began and went on for about ten years, during which reformism was kept as a way to improve society (introduction of the all pensions act). In spite of this, England had already entered a period of crisis due to the loss of political and economical powers. In 1910, George V succeeded to the throne, and, a few years later, WWI broke out (1914). Furthermore, in 1916, the Easter Rising in Dublin took place: their aim was to finally gain independence from England (obtained in 1921, although a year later a civil war broke out). The world war, as well as the complex Irish situation, ultimately resulted in the collapsing of what used to be the Great English Empire, along with its inner control which led to a period of crisis as opposed to the prior one, characterized by glory and prosperity. This complicated situation, however, was not something by which only England was affected, being instead a common issue in most European countries. In this turbulent climate, both socially and politically, a new movement, called modernism, emerged. The economical crisis, as well as the rapid technological advancements that took place during this period, created a sense of anxiety and uncertainty that led writers and artists to embrace new techniques. Experimentation and creativity thus became key elements for those who wanted to overcome the sense of disorientation caused by the chaotic environment in which they had to live. Stream of consciousness (which aim was to replace the traditional narrative structure) and symbolism were employed to explore the intricate aspects of individual experience in compliance with their subjective reality. As a result, clock time and chronological order gave way to a new concept of time that was strictly related to the individual perception and was often driven by the activity of the unconscious (the part of ourselves over which we have no control). Modernist fiction: psychological novel Modernist fiction mirrored the sense of disorientation and overall pessimistic point of view that all artists shared due to the complex social and political context. The nineteen-century’s realistic novel gave way to a type of fiction which aim was to annihilate any kind of logical order that could’ve corrupted the spontaneous stream of thoughts. Said novel implied the radical rejection of: - a linear flow of narrative, which consisted in a chronological sequence of events and well structured plot. - the conventional unity and coherence of plot and character - cause- effect relationship based on rationality. These elements of the narration were replaced with fragmented, non-chronological sequences of events that revolutionized literary expression, making the novel hard to understand and thus largely inaccessible to the common reader. The focus was put on the inner journey taken by the character, thanks to which the reader was made aware of the complex and multisided individual identity (influence of Freud and Bergson). Said inner journey often culminated in an epiphany (or moment of being), a sudden revelation made by the character upon having lived ordinary situations. Overall, the Modernist story’s plot lacked of significative events, instead revolving around a character’s stream of consciousness (psychic phenomenon) which was delivered thanks to the interior monologue and to the new concept of time (based on its individual perception). James Joyce James Joyce is an Irish writer born in Dublin in 1882. In order to properly understand the meaning behind his works, it is important to mention that Joyce left Dublin in 1905, when he moved to Trieste with his girlfriend, and never came back. In spite of his desire to search for a better life elsewhere, thus going into voluntary exile, Joyce decided to set all of his literary works in Dublin, which is proof of the fact that, no matter what choices you make during the course of your life, you will never get rid of your origins. After a period spent in Trieste (during which he published Dubliners), Joyce moved to Zurich, then to Paris (where he published A portrait of the artist as a young man) and finally to Zurich for the second time. His dedication to writing was not always received well by the public, who found his works rather difficult to understand. His lack of success led to financial problems that were partly solved thanks to Ulysses, largely praised by critics for its modern aspects. His last work, Finnegans
