INTRODUCTION
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The Modern time period began with the beginning of World War I in 1914. There was a feeling of optimism between realism and modernism but this feeling was quickly crushed due to the violence of the war. World War I was one of the bloodiest and tragic conflicts ever to occur. People did not consider the extremity of the war as many Americans were confident and carefree as troops were sent overseas. The reality of war began to sink in when many men were left dead or severely injured. Many American writers such as E. E. Cummings and Ernest Hemingway, served in the war as ambulance drivers. They took their experiences to write about the disillusioned and fragmented society that resulted from the crushing war.
The era following World War I was the "Roaring 20s." This was an era filled with economic boom and a new abundance of wealth for many people which created a slight feeling of optimism. With this new wealth, new restrictions were created in reguards to alcohol. The Prohibition Act was passed in the 1920s which made the selling of alcohol illegal. This led to bootlegging, speakeasies, and a large spread law breaking society because people still sought after alcohol. Flappers were coming of age changing the view of women and the idea of strict morals. The Jazz Age was a period of optimism that everyone enjoyed because of the new thrills that were emerging. The Great Gatsby by F. Scotts. Fitzgerald, adequately captured the flaws and decrease of morals during this time period.
This period of economic boom was quickly crushed with the Great Depression. The Great Depression began due to the stock market crash in 1929 which shattered many families hopes and dreams for the future. Nearly half of the country were left in hardships and were uncertain about their future. Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal ultimately helped save America during this time. His policies and our participation in World War II helped America recover during this tragic time.
World War I was the final severance to the medieval world. The time period following the beginning of World War I is known as Modernism because it is the artistic rendering of the experience of modernity. As the modern era continued with World War II, the period came to a close in 1945. People wanted to return to a normal lifestyle, therefore a new era had to be created.
The era following World War I was the "Roaring 20s." This was an era filled with economic boom and a new abundance of wealth for many people which created a slight feeling of optimism. With this new wealth, new restrictions were created in reguards to alcohol. The Prohibition Act was passed in the 1920s which made the selling of alcohol illegal. This led to bootlegging, speakeasies, and a large spread law breaking society because people still sought after alcohol. Flappers were coming of age changing the view of women and the idea of strict morals. The Jazz Age was a period of optimism that everyone enjoyed because of the new thrills that were emerging. The Great Gatsby by F. Scotts. Fitzgerald, adequately captured the flaws and decrease of morals during this time period.
This period of economic boom was quickly crushed with the Great Depression. The Great Depression began due to the stock market crash in 1929 which shattered many families hopes and dreams for the future. Nearly half of the country were left in hardships and were uncertain about their future. Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal ultimately helped save America during this time. His policies and our participation in World War II helped America recover during this tragic time.
World War I was the final severance to the medieval world. The time period following the beginning of World War I is known as Modernism because it is the artistic rendering of the experience of modernity. As the modern era continued with World War II, the period came to a close in 1945. People wanted to return to a normal lifestyle, therefore a new era had to be created.
t. s. elliot
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Thomas Stearns Eliot, commonly known as T.S. Eliot, was born in St. Louis Missouri on September 26, 1888. He received a formal education from Smith Academy in St. Louis and later Milton Academy in Massachusetts. After going to formal grade school, Eliot attended Harvard University in 1906 graduating three years later with a Bachelors of Arts degree. While at Harvard, he found an appreciation for philosophy and the changing poetry world. Eliot stayed at Harvard a year after he graduated as a philosophy assistant. Then, he left Harvard to study philosophy at Sorbonne, the University of Paris.
After a year in Paris, Eliot returned to Harvard to pursue his doctorate in philosophy. He never finished received Ph.D. because of the beginning of World War I. He returned to Europe and settled in London, England in 1914. He married Vivienne Haigh-Wood and got a job as a teacher and later became a bank clerk at Lloyds Bank until 1926.
While in London, Eliot began a lifelong friendship with Ezra Pound. Pound quickly recognized Eliot’s poetic genius and how his poetry adequately represented this new time period. He helped him publish many of his works, the first poem being “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock.” His first book of poems, Prufrock and Other Observations, in 1917. This book of poems established Eliot as a leading poet. He was very well respected because he had a very busy schedule writing poetry, attending his day job, and he wrote many literary criticism and reviews.
Eliot was known for publishing poetry that contained “gerontic.” The specific poem called “Gerontion” was written in blank verse monologue. This poem was a breakthrough for the time period because nothing like this had ever been written. Eliot’s popularity increased with the publication of “The Waste Land” in 1922. This poem was a complex examination of post war disillusionment. At the time Eliot was writing this poem, his marriage was falling apart and he and his wife were both experiencing “nervous disorders,” a form of anxiety. “The Waste Land” is considered the most influential poem of the twentieth century.
By 1930, Eliot was the most dominant figure in poetry. In addition to “The Waste Land” being published in 1922, Eliot founded what would become the most influential literary journal called Criterion. He was the primary editor of the journal during its publication. Eliot left his job as a blank clerk two years after Criterion’s publication ended. He joined the publishing house Faber and Faber where he mentored the writings of many younger poets.
Eliot officially became a British citizen in 1927. While he continued publishing young poets works at Faber Faber, he also continued writing and publishing his own works. He published many poems including “Ash Wednesday" in 1930 and "Four Quartets" in 1943. During this period he also wrote The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism in 1933, After Strange Gods in 1934 and Notes Towards the Definition of Culture in 1940. Although very busy, he eventually became director of the publishing firm Faber and Faber. During this time period, his marriage was suffering and ended his unhappy marriage. He married Valerie Fletcher in 1956. T.S. Eliot received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1948. The well known, influential writer died in London January 4, 1965.
After a year in Paris, Eliot returned to Harvard to pursue his doctorate in philosophy. He never finished received Ph.D. because of the beginning of World War I. He returned to Europe and settled in London, England in 1914. He married Vivienne Haigh-Wood and got a job as a teacher and later became a bank clerk at Lloyds Bank until 1926.
While in London, Eliot began a lifelong friendship with Ezra Pound. Pound quickly recognized Eliot’s poetic genius and how his poetry adequately represented this new time period. He helped him publish many of his works, the first poem being “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock.” His first book of poems, Prufrock and Other Observations, in 1917. This book of poems established Eliot as a leading poet. He was very well respected because he had a very busy schedule writing poetry, attending his day job, and he wrote many literary criticism and reviews.
Eliot was known for publishing poetry that contained “gerontic.” The specific poem called “Gerontion” was written in blank verse monologue. This poem was a breakthrough for the time period because nothing like this had ever been written. Eliot’s popularity increased with the publication of “The Waste Land” in 1922. This poem was a complex examination of post war disillusionment. At the time Eliot was writing this poem, his marriage was falling apart and he and his wife were both experiencing “nervous disorders,” a form of anxiety. “The Waste Land” is considered the most influential poem of the twentieth century.
By 1930, Eliot was the most dominant figure in poetry. In addition to “The Waste Land” being published in 1922, Eliot founded what would become the most influential literary journal called Criterion. He was the primary editor of the journal during its publication. Eliot left his job as a blank clerk two years after Criterion’s publication ended. He joined the publishing house Faber and Faber where he mentored the writings of many younger poets.
Eliot officially became a British citizen in 1927. While he continued publishing young poets works at Faber Faber, he also continued writing and publishing his own works. He published many poems including “Ash Wednesday" in 1930 and "Four Quartets" in 1943. During this period he also wrote The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism in 1933, After Strange Gods in 1934 and Notes Towards the Definition of Culture in 1940. Although very busy, he eventually became director of the publishing firm Faber and Faber. During this time period, his marriage was suffering and ended his unhappy marriage. He married Valerie Fletcher in 1956. T.S. Eliot received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1948. The well known, influential writer died in London January 4, 1965.
KEY AUTHORS
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THEMES
World War I left the world in a state of disillusionment. This feeling of disappointment spread across the world and influenced many modern authors. This was a common theme in modern literature such as "Winter Dreams," "In Another Country," and The Great Gatsby. Many Americans were left disappointment after the crash of the Stock Market in 1929. Many dreams about the future were shattered, leaving people to pick up the pieces. This left people fragmented, shattering their version of the American Dream. This fragmented perspective is revealed in the poems "Old Age Sticks" and "The Lovesong of Alfred J. Prufrock."
Authors in modernism such as T.S. Eliot, F. Scotts Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck all contributed to capture the failure of modernism. World War I, the roaring 20s, and the Great Depression led many people to feel like failure was inevitable. These authors did their best to capture the fragmented, disillusionment feelings in America.
Authors in modernism such as T.S. Eliot, F. Scotts Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck all contributed to capture the failure of modernism. World War I, the roaring 20s, and the Great Depression led many people to feel like failure was inevitable. These authors did their best to capture the fragmented, disillusionment feelings in America.
"T.S. Eliot." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 01 Sept. 2016. Web. 07 May 2017