1. 20. CENTURY
MODERNISM
MODERNIST
ELEMENTS
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

2. WHAT IS
MODERNISM?
 It is a disengagement from
ordinary conventions and seeking
new perspectives, forms and styles
in literature.
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

3. MAJOR THEMES
 Alienation from society, loneliness and violence
 Loss and despair; painful memories of past
 Inevitable change
 Race relations; sense of place; local skin color
 Rejection of history
 Fear of death
 Impossibility to express love
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

4. MAJOR FEATURES
Focus on form rather than meaning
Corrupting old shapes
Disengagement from social principals and
cultural values
Understanding truths; rejecting mythical past
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

5. MAJOR FEATURES
 Interest in early and non-western cultures
 Reflecting complexity of modern urban life
 Life is fragmented
 Subject is usually what the purpose of literature and
poetry is
 Ironic and emotionless
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

6. MAJOR FEATURES
Anti romantic; not naturalist but interested in art
Poem need not to have a meaning
Poet is responsible for life and spirit
Point of view is remote from subject
Allusions to myth, the Bible, foreign languages and street
life
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

7. MAJOR FEATURES
Poems resemble a puzzle or labyrinth; so
meaning must be searched by reader
Not using unnecessary words
Words are arranged entertainingly
Very footnoted.
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY

8. • http://authspot.com/poetry/the-three-most-important-features-ofmodern-poetry/
• http://www.online-literature.com/periods/modernism.php
• http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/271937.html
KTU- Department of English Language and Literature
Gül Nihan GÜRSOY