Key Literary Terms – ENG 230 Modernism

Key Literary Terms in Modernism

Definition of Modernism

  • Modernism is a late 19th–early 20th century artistic movement.

  • Breaks away from traditional forms, styles, and moral certainties.

  • Reflects a world transformed by:

    • Industrialization

    • Capitalism

    • Urbanization

    • War

  • Modernist writers experiment with:

    • Structure

    • Voice

    • Language

    • Aim to capture the fragmented nature of modern life.

Author Connections to Modernism

  • Gertrude Stein: Modernized prose through the use of repetition and unconventional syntax.

  • Willa Cather: Modernized fiction by stripping away excessive detail in favor of suggestion and emotional intensity.

Vernacular in Literature

  • Definition: Refers to the everyday language or dialect of a specific group in a particular time and place.

  • Significance in literature: Writing in vernacular means using language that sounds like real speech rather than formal academic prose.

Author Connections to Vernacular

  • Robert Frost: Utilizes rural New England speech rhythms in works like “Mending Wall.”

  • Sherwood Anderson: Captures Midwestern small-town voices in Winesburg, Ohio.

Manifesto in Literature

  • Definition: A manifesto is a public declaration of artistic or political principles.

  • Purpose: Announce the principles that the writer rejects and those they celebrate.

  • Characteristics of Modernist manifestos:

    • Often attack old traditions.

    • Boldly declare new artistic directions.

Author Connections to Manifestos

  • Filippo Tommaso Marinetti: Authored the Futurist Manifesto which glorifies speed and machinery.

  • Willa Cather: Wrote “The Novel Démeublé,” which rejects commercial fiction in favor of a stripped-down artistic form.

Grotesque in Modernist Literature

  • Definition: A grotesque character is one who is distorted emotionally or socially by adhering too rigidly to a single idea or “truth.”

  • Characteristics:

    • Often isolated or exaggerated.

Author Connection to Grotesque

  • Sherwood Anderson: In “The Book of the Grotesque,” he explains how people become grotesque when they live by one truth too absolutely.

    • Example: Wing Biddlebaum in “Hands.”

High Modernism

  • Definition: Refers to a more elite branch of modernism.

  • Values:

    • Complexity

    • Artistic purity

    • Separation from mass culture.

  • Characteristics:

    • Favors symbolic, difficult, and highly crafted works.

Author Connection to High Modernism

  • Willa Cather: Represents high modernist ideals in “The Novel Démeublé,” arguing that serious art should reject cheap, overly detailed fiction.

Concept of “Equipment for Living”

  • Definition: The idea that literature provides strategies for understanding and managing life.

  • Purpose of literature:

    • Offers models for responding to social problems.

Author Connection to “Equipment for Living”

  • Kenneth Burke: Coined the phrase, arguing that literature helps individuals navigate the complexities of modern realities.

  • Related Course Theme: Characters such as Hemingway’s “Code Hero” serve as exemplars of this concept.