Modernism Literature essays

Modernism Literature essays Modernism is the social and literal ideal that developped during the period after World War One. Alienation, Negativism, Ambiguioty, and glorifications of the past are all characteristics of Modernism. Great examples of modernist literature are The Metamorphosis, Notes From the Underground, and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. In, The Metamorphisis, Gregor Samsa awakes one day to find himself transformed into a large vermin. This is an example of Negativism. Whether he actually turned into a bug is irrelevent; what is important is to understand how he percieved himself and those around him. In the beginning of the story, Gregor felt alienated. Gregors metamorphisis occurred because he percieved himself in such a negative way. His perception manifested itself, and changed Gregor into an insect. After he became a bug, he came to the understanding that his current form, although horrid, was not nearly as bad as his previous life. In this form he didnt have to work; he could stay home. This alienated Gregor even more, and made him feel trapped. While this book was written long before the early 19th century, it is a perfect example of modernist literature. In the book, Notes From the Underground, the underground man himself is a representation of modernist ideals. Throughout the book, the Underground Man is critical of the world around him, he percieves the rest of the world as being corrupt and greedy. When he tries to reassert himself into society, hes met with great blunders. He thinks the old ways of life are better, back when a man couldnt be corrupted as easily as they are now. Such glorification of the past is a characteristic of modernism. In the poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. Eliot, Prufrock is on his way to tell a girl how much he loves her. But on his way, he thinks about all the bad things that could happen if he told her; not once did ...