Thinking Activity:Modernist Literature

The Literature of Modern age is endless in subjects,infinite in forms,countless in themes,vast in topics, limitless in structure.To talk about 20th centuryis likethe counting of the twinkling stars,a never ending process.

In the Modern age:
    
                  "There has been no dearth of Poets, Novelists and Dramatists who will stand the test of time and become a part of the immortal literary heritage of England." 

According to M.H.Abrams:

              "The term Modernism is used to Identify new and distinctive feature in the subject's forms, concept, style of literature and other arts."

• Literary Tendencies:

1. Humanitarian and Democratic feeling.
2. Realism.
3. Passimistic Note in Modern Literature.
4. Religion and Mysticism.
5. The treatment of Love and Nature.
6. Psychological treatment in Modern Literature.
7. Longingness.
8. Individual's Perspective came in Existance.

• Short Modernist Poems:

* The Embankment:

T.E. Hulme was influential poet and thinker in twentieth century. He revolutionized the way English poetry approached issues of rhyme,meter and imagery. " The Embankment"  is one of the best known poem. This poem has completed into 7 lines. According to my point of view In this poem has may be central thought is lust and falling of man. How any types of lust leads man towards the decayed. This types of addiction became man's life completely weak and dull. So that this types hopeless people prays to god for shelter. It means that here arise question of existence. Here I will add one more thing that in the poem may be that man wants to decide  to die because he doesn't bear himself and may be he wants to hide himself everywhere. In the poem I found some key points and  Symbols like as,

* Embankment:-  Hopeless people.
* Gold Heels    :-  Ambition, Prostitution.
* Blanket          :- Shelter, Hide, Protection.

* "Darkness"  by Joseph Campbell:-

                                                                   
     "I stop to watch a star shine in the boghole,
   A star no longer, but a silver ribbon of light.
   I look at it , and pass on."

                                              Campbell was an Irish poet writing  a similar kind of poetry to Hulme at around same time. Poetry doesn't come much more understated than this. This poem has completed into only 4 lines. According to my point of view I get some thing from title. Darkness also connected with death and something happening bad. Here I can say that Speaker will feel depression. As a part of depression Speaker face mental illness so that speaker don't like to see shining of stars but likes to see light. So that I have to say that this sky may be gives the feeling of boghole. Here I found some key points like as,

* Darkness :- Depression, Death, Negativity, Evilness, dullness
* Boghole   :- Which can't sustains the weight because of the softness.
                        A hole or depression in a land surface having a miry or spongy bottom.
* Silver Ribbon :- Mental illness

* "Image" by Edward Storer:-

Edward Storer  was clearly influenced by Japanese form such as the haiku, This poem has completed into only 3 Lines also.According to my point of view in the short poem seems like as an image. We can't bind in one certain idea about any Image. but  here may be the Image of Sorrowful condition and everything looks like varnished. I can imagine that situation is became like as land of desert with full moon light. There are somebody on pyre and due to the lake of love and everyone certainly has payed the price.

* Moon :- As a land of Desert with full moon
* Pyre   :- Bad happening, Death, Drought,Loneliness

* "In a station of the Metro":-

  Pound arrived at this two lines poem after writing a much longer draft which he then cut down, line by line. The poem describes the sight of the crowd of commuters at the Paris Metro Station. In the poem using vivid and original image. So that this poem also based on imagination As the title suggested the image of Metro-station. There are crowded people and everyone rushing. This poem has completed in only 2 lines. In the poem Faces are compared with the petal of the black and wet bough. It means that after the rain when branches becomes black. Here I found some point like as,

* Apparition :-  Ghost, Imagery
* Petals :- Flowers, Faces
* Black and Wet Bough :-  After the rain


* "The Pool" by H.D.Hilda Doolittle:-

                          

     The Pool!!

   "Are you alive ?
     I touch you.
     You quiver like a sea-fish.
     I cover you with my net.
    What are you- banded one ?"

                                             H.D. was one of the main practitioners of imagine, the short-lived poetic movement which founded in 1912. " The Pool" is one of H.D.'s  finest short poems about coming face-to-face with her reflation in the waters of rock-pool. Here I interpret that speaker has visited the river and pool. Pool is symbolically used for joined two shore of the river and rottenness . River is interpret something discovery because later on he finds something. This poem has completed into 5 lines only.

*  "Insouciance " by Richard Aldington:-

                         Insouciance " by Richard Aldington:-

                                                                   

  " In and out of the dreary trenches,
   Trudging cheerily under the stars,
  I make for myself little the stars,
  Delicate as a flock of doves.
 They fly away like white-winged doves."

                                            

   Aldington and H.D. were husband and wife in the 1910-1920." Insouciance" is about writing poems in trenches. Aldington, like many men of his generation, saw action at the at the Western front during WWI. I think it is poem of soldier because they lives without fear of death. Title of the also suggest that thing but in the dreary trenches soldiers are might feel boring. Here used metaphor of doves as a death because one day we all gone as white winged doves. This poem has completed into 5 lines only.

* Imagination & Metaphor:-  Dreary Trenches, Flock of Doves, White winged dove.                                     

* "Morning at the Window"

This poem written in London, Shortly after the outbreak WWI. In the poem context that may be lurk behind the poem's dark, Oppressive images of everyday life. It is an rhymed poem According to my opinion Speaker watched terrible sight out side from the window at early morning. He saw poor condition of his country and people Who lived on the pavement. They had not even enough food for eating and another side children played in mud. They have not good clothe. This poem has completed into 9 lines.

* Basement
* Trampled edges
* Damp Soul
* Twisted faces
* Muddy Skirts
* An Aimless Smile

*" The Redwheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams:

  It is most difficult poem for understanding. We can't say properly that this poem about for that.This poem is best example of Imagination and metaphor. " The Red Wheelbarrow " Which used in farming and for transferring something. Here poet try to used rural imagery. Here In the poem bird of White chicken comes near for look beauty of wheelbarrow. This poem has completed into 8 lines.

* "Anecdote of the Jar" By Wallace 

Stevens

This poem First time published in 1919. It was one of the best Steven's best-known Short poems. It appeared in his first volume off  poems and has been baffling critics and readers. This poem has been completed into 12 lines. Here  poet has good imagination. I think poet puts Jar on the hill. It was represented progress and beauty of nature.

* Jar :- Art,
* Bush :- Recreation, Wilderness.

* "I" by E.E.Cummings:

This poem appeared in 1958 in Cummings' collection 95 poems, so it's really a late modernist work. Although it's nine line long, it's only contains four words - cleverly arranged so that  'a leaf falls' appears parenthetically within the word ' loneliness'. It was creative poem with imagination. In the poem few lines but it's gives the feeling of loneliness. It's good idea about one single leaf fall on the ground which make poem very interesting.