Timeline of English Literature--The Birth of Modern Literature (1890-1918)

The Birth of Modern Literature (1890-1918)

The period from 1890 to 1918 marks a pivotal era in English literature, often referred to as the Birth of Modern Literature. This period saw a radical transformation in literary forms and themes, as writers responded to the rapidly changing world around them. The influences of industrialization, urbanization, new scientific discoveries (such as Darwinism and Freud's psychoanalysis), and the disillusionment brought on by World War I all contributed to the shift toward modernism. Writers began to experiment with narrative structures, language, and subject matter, breaking away from the constraints of Victorian tradition.

Essential Features of This Era

• ·        At the dawn of Modern Age (1890-1918) we can find out the clear shift from the complacency, compromise and fixedness of the Victorian period.
• ·        Scientific outlook disturbs the sea of faith and interrogative, skeptical and rational perspective to life come into force.

Key Historical and Cultural Context

1. Industrialization and Urbanization:

   • The late 19th century was marked by the rapid growth of cities, industrial expansion, and the rise of the middle class. These changes led to a sense of alienation and dislocation, themes that became central in modernist literature.

2. Scientific and Philosophical Developments:

   • The influence of Charles Darwin (theory of evolution), Sigmund Freud (psychoanalysis), and Karl Marx (social theory) challenged traditional views of human nature, religion, and society. These ideas significantly influenced modern writers, who began to explore the irrational and unconscious mind, the fluidity of time, and the instability of identity.

3. World War I (1914–1918):

   • The outbreak of World War I brought about a profound sense of disillusionment. The brutality and chaos of the war shattered the idealism of the Victorian age, and many writers responded by questioning the value of progress and traditional moral certainties. This period marked the beginning of a darker, more fragmented view of the world.

4. The Rise of Modernism:

   • Modernism was a literary movement that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, emphasizing a break from the past and experimentation with new forms. Modernist writers sought to capture the fragmented nature of modern experience, using techniques such as stream of consciousness, multiple perspectives, and non-linear narratives.

Key Writers and Works

1. Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)

   • Notable Works: Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), Jude the Obscure (1895).
   • Significance: Hardy's novels mark the transition from Victorian realism to modern pessimism. His works often depict individuals struggling against social constraints and an indifferent universe. Jude the Obscure, in particular, shocked Victorian readers with its bleak portrayal of life and societal criticism.

2. Henry James (1843–1916)

   • Notable Works: The Turn of the Screw (1898), The Ambassadors (1903), The Wings of the Dove (1902).
   • Significance: James is known for his psychological depth and complex narrative style. His exploration of the inner consciousness and the subtleties of human relationships was a precursor to modernist techniques such as stream of consciousness.

3. Joseph Conrad (1857–1924)

   • Notable Works: Heart of Darkness (1899), Lord Jim (1900), Nostromo (1904).
   • Significance: Conrad’s works explore themes of isolation, colonialism, and the dark side of human nature. His narrative innovations, such as unreliable narrators and fragmented structures, influenced later modernist writers. Heart of Darkness is particularly important for its critique of imperialism and its exploration of moral ambiguity.

4. W.B. Yeats (1865–1939)

   • Notable Works: The Wind Among the Reeds (1899), In the Seven Woods (1904), The Wild Swans at Coole (1917).
   • Significance: As a central figure of the Irish Literary Revival, Yeats combined symbolism and myth to explore themes of Irish identity, nationalism, and the spiritual. His early poetry is often romantic and mystical, but after World War I, his work became darker and more modern in tone.

5. James Joyce (1882–1941)

   • Notable Works: Dubliners (1914), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916).
   • Significance: Joyce is one of the most influential modernist writers. His innovative use of stream of consciousness and his focus on individual experience and internal monologue broke new ground in narrative technique. Dubliners offers a realist portrayal of life in Dublin, while A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man explores themes of identity and artistic development.

6. D.H. Lawrence (1885–1930)

   • Notable Works: Sons and Lovers (1913), The Rainbow (1915).
   • Significance: Lawrence’s works often focus on human sexuality, emotional relationships, and the conflict between industrial society and nature. His exploration of the unconscious and sexual repression was controversial but also marked a break from the moral certainties of the Victorian era.

7. Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)

   • Notable Work: The Voyage Out (1915).
   • Significance: Though Woolf's most famous works were published later, her early novel The Voyage Out foreshadowed her experiments with narrative voice and her exploration of characters' inner lives. Woolf’s focus on subjective reality and her use of stream of consciousness would become central to modernist literature.

8. T.S. Eliot (1888–1965)

   • Notable Work: Prufrock and Other Observations (1917).
   • Significance: Eliot’s early work, especially The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915), marked the beginning of his exploration of modern alienation, fragmentation, and the spiritual crisis of modern man. His complex, allusive style would later define high modernist poetry.

9. Wilfred Owen (1893–1918)

   • Notable Works: Dulce et Decorum Est (1917), Anthem for Doomed Youth (1917).
   • Significance: Owen’s war poetry reflects the horrors of World War I, capturing the brutality of trench warfare and the disillusionment felt by a generation of soldiers. His work is stark, anti-heroic, and often bitterly ironic, contrasting sharply with the romanticized view of war.

Literary Characteristics and Themes

1. Fragmentation and Disillusionment:

   • Modernist literature reflects a fragmented and disillusioned world, rejecting the certainty and coherence of earlier literary forms. The trauma of World War I shattered many traditional beliefs, leading to a more pessimistic and questioning approach in literature.

2. Stream of Consciousness:

   • Writers such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf used stream of consciousness to depict the flow of thoughts and feelings inside their characters’ minds. This technique aimed to capture the complexity of human experience and the often chaotic nature of internal thought processes.

3. Exploration of the Unconscious:

   • Influenced by Freud, modernist literature often delves into the subconscious and irrational aspects of the human mind. Characters are portrayed as struggling with unconscious desires, fears, and conflicts.

4. Critique of Industrialization and Imperialism:

   • Many modernist writers, like Joseph Conrad and D.H. Lawrence, critique the dehumanizing effects of industrialization and the moral ambiguities of imperialism, highlighting themes of alienation and exploitation.

5. Innovative Use of Language and Form:

   • Modernist writers experimented with new forms and narrative techniques, rejecting traditional linear plots and omniscient narrators. Their use of fragmented narratives, multiple perspectives, and non-chronological storytelling reflected the complexity of modern life.

Conclusion

The period from 1890 to 1918 marks the Birth of Modern Literature, a time when writers broke away from Victorian conventions and embraced experimentation and innovation. Through techniques like stream of consciousness, fragmented narratives, and exploration of the subconscious, modernist writers sought to capture the complexity and disorientation of modern life. This era laid the groundwork for the full flowering of modernism in the 1920s and continues to influence literature today.

The Birth of Modern Literature (1890-1918)

The publication dates of works of literature in the context of important historical, social, and cultural events

Historical events

Literature

1903 – Daily Morror started 1914 – First World War starts. Huge recruitment campaign for the Army.   1917 – Russian Revolution 1918 – Woman over 30 gains vote. 1921 – Irish Home Rule Bill passed, warnings of possible civil war(1914).  Irish free state established

1891 – Tess of The D’urbervilles – Hardy 1895 – Almayer’s Folly – Conrad 1895 – Time Machine – H. G.Wells 1897 – Nigger of The Narcissus – Conrad 1898 – Plays: Pleasant and unpleasant – Shaw 1889 – The Wanderings of Oisin – Yeats 1907 – The playboy of The Western world – Synge. 1910 – Justice – Galsworthy 1915-- The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock- T S Eliot 1916-- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man- James Joyce 1917-- Prufrock and Other Observations- T S Eliot

English Rulers
1901-1910	Edward VII
1910-1936	George V
Authors
1840-1928	Thomas Hardy
1843-1916	Henry James
1857-1924	Joseph Conrad
1866-1946	H. G. Wells
1856-1950	G.B. Shaw
1871-1909	Synge
1865-1939	W. B. Yeats
1844-1930	Bridges
1844-1889	G. M. Hopkins
1879-1970	E. M. Forster
1882-1941	Virginia Woolf

A Few Common Short Questions

I.      Name the two novels by H. G. Wells and Arnold Bennet.

Ans. H.G. Wells   1. The Ward and the Worlds.

    (1866 – 1946)       2. The Time Machine.

Arnold Bennet  1. The Old Wives’ Tale

(1867 – 1931)       2. The Clay hanger Family

    II.      Can you name the authors of Unto the Last and Candida.

Ans. The author of Unto the Last (1862) is John Ruskin (1819-1900). The author of Candida (1907) is Bernard Shaw.

 III.      Name two absurd plays with the name of playwrights.

Ans. Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett

The Care-taker - Harold Pinter

The birthday party - Harold Pinter

The Home-Coming - Harold Pinter

IV.      Name two books by W. B. Yeats – a play and a prose work.

Ans. The Countess Cathleen.

The Lead of Heart’s desire – are the two verse play by W. B. Teats.

   V.      Name two Edwardian novelists and mention one title of each of them.

Ans. Lawrence - Sons and Lovers

James Joyce - Ulysses

VI.      What journals did T. S. Eliot and F. R. Levis edit?

Ans. The Egoist, The Scrutiny are the journals edited by T. S. Eliot and F. R. Levis.

VII.      Name five sections of ‘The Waste Land’.

Ans. 1. The Burial of the Dead

2. The Game of Chess

3. The Fire Sermon

4. Death by Water

5. What the thunder said.

VIII.      Name two of T. S. Eliot’s critical essays.

Ans. A) Tradition and Individual Talents.

B) Points of view.

C) What is a classic?

IX.      Name any two works of an Absurd play wright.

Ans. Samuel Beckett - Waiting for Godot, Endgame.

   X.      Name two movements in art that had impact on poetry in the 20^th century?

Ans. Imagist movement (Hulme), Surrealistic movement (Dylan Thomas).

XI.      Give the names of four poets associated with the Decadent movement.

Ans. A movement by the influence of French ‘aesthetisism’ in the latter 19^th century manifesting high refinement, subtle beauties of a culture and art but underneath a special savor of incipient decay – Oscar Wilde, Arthur Symons, Earnest Dawson, Charles Swinburne.

XII.      Name two scientific fantasies written by H. G. Wells.

Ans. The Time Machine (1895)

The Invisible Man (1897)

The War of the Worlds (1898)

The First man in the Moon (1901)

XIII.      Name a novel by James Joyce?

Ans. Ulysses.

XIV.      What is the most famous poem of T.S. Eliot?

Ans. The Waste Land.

XV.      Who was D. H. Lawrence? (1885-1930)

Ans. D. H. Lawrence is a famous novelist for his iconoclastic outlook. His magnum opus is Sons and Lovers; The White Peacock, The Rainbow, Women in Love, The Lost Girl, The Virgin and the Gypsy are his other novels. His dramas are The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd, David etc.

XVI.      Who was Somerset Maugham?

Ans. He is a novelist of 20^th century. His famous novel is Of Human Bondage. Apart from novel he also wrote stories and plays. A man of Honour, For Services Rendered, The Sacred Fame are his famous tragedies.

XVII.      What is W. B. Yeats’ Indian connection?

Ans. Yeats was greatly impressed by Indian and its thought and philosophy. He was influenced by three Indians – Mohini Chatterjee, Robindranath Tagore and Sir Purohit Swami. He wrote the preface to the English version of Tagore’s Gitanjali and also translated the ten principal Upanisads along with Purohit Swami.

XVIII.      Inscape, instress and sprung rhythm

Ans: These three theories are associated to Hopkins-

Inscape –The distinctive organic form of a thing.

Instress – The animating energy in art, nature and god.

Sprung rhythm – One that contains specific number of stressed syllables and varying number of unstressed ones.

Ardhendu De