The cambridge companion to american modernism provides a comprehensive and authoritative overview of american literary modernism from 1890 to 1939. Introduction and edited by irene gammel and suzanne zelazo. Yeats poetry was no longer something to enjoy or to confort victorian age but something necessary to confront the moral emptiness of the age. Chapters on the major literary genres, on intellectual, political and institutional contexts, and on film and the visual arts, provide close analyses and a broader set of.
Jun, 2017 literature scholars differ over the years that encompass the modernist period, however most generally agree that modernist authors published as early as the 1880s and into the mid1940s. Additionally, modernist poetry disavowed the traditional aesthetic claims of. These long poems represent the main contribution of the modernist movement to the 20th century english poetic canon. War and industrialization seemed to devalue the individual. The cambridge companion to the poetry of the first world war the poetry of the first world war remains a singularly popular and powerful body of work. Along with analyzing modernist poems critically, this. Auden, hart crane, william butler yeats, and wallace stevens. The first part explores the historical and cultural contexts and sexual politics of literary modernism and the avant garde. Pdf cambridge companion to modern american poetry front.
This course covers the body of modern poetry, its characteristic techniques, concerns, and major practitioners. In this companion, eminent british and american scholars offer a guide to the revolutionary cultural transformations of the first decades of the twentieth century. The second coming explains yeats theory of the movement of history. The questioning of the self and the exploration of technical innovations in modernist poetry are intimately interconnected. Cambridge companions cambridge companions are a series of authoritative guides, written by leading experts, offering lively, accessible introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics, and periods.
Cambridge core english literature 19001945 the cambridge companion to modernist poetry edited by alex davis. Surveys developments in modernist poetry, drama, fiction and the visual arts. The cambridge companion to modernism by michael levenson, 9780521281256, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The main characteristics of modernist literature pen and. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. William carlos williams was another who had a strong impact on the beat poets, encouraging poets like lew welch and writing an introduction for the book. Modernist poetry in english started in the early years of the 20th century with the appearance of. Yeats philosophy focuses on gyres, circular or spiral turns, which represent progression into a new era. A companion to modernist poetry blackwell companions to. This isnt a long poem, so stevens doesnt waste any time getting down to it. All are collections of specially commissioned essays, shaped and introduced to appeal to student readers. The cambridge companion to the american modernist novel. In the cambridge companion to modernism, ten eminent scholars from britain and the united states offer timely new appraisals of the revolutionary cultural transformations of the first decades of the twentieth century. A companion to modernist literature and culture modernism.
During this period, society at every level underwent profound changes. Buy the cambridge companion to modernist poetry cambridge companions to literature 1 by alex davis isbn. In poetry, the romantics prized the artistry of traditional forms like the sonnet, whereas the modernists emphasized formless experiments in free verse and sound poetry. The disorienting nature and uncertainty of modernist poetry often makes it a challenge for students. Modernist poetry can be characterized by the following except a.
Alex davis is the author of locations of literary modernism 4. The cambridge companion to modernist poetry edited by alex davis university college cork and lee m. Unlike the pastoral settings of many romantic works, modernist literature such as ulysses and the waste land took place in a distinctly urban environment. Despite poetrys current reputation as an elitist, almost marginal form of literature, it continues to be widely practiced and studied. This companion provides cultural and historical background to contemporary irish poetry in the contexts of modern ireland but also in the broad currents of modern world literature.
Over 1,500 detailed entries on modern poets writing in english. Offering a comprehensive and uptodate survey of the field, a companion to modernist poetry provides readers with detailed discussions of individual poets, schools and movements within modernist poetry, and the cultural and historical context of the modernist period. The cambridge companion to contemporary irish poetry. The cambridge companion to modernism edited by michael levenson. The cambridge companion to modernist poetry edited by alex. Between 1900 and 1918 modernist hints were revealed by the first generation, ezra pound, eliot, yeats, hughes. The cambridge companion to the poetry of the first world war. A companion to victorian poetry edited by richard cronin, alison chapman, and antony h. Cambridge companions to literature includes bibliographical references and index. An overview of the modernist period in which irish artists not only helped to create a distinctive nationalist literature but also changed the face of european and anglophone culture. Modernist poetry refers to poetry written, mainly in europe and north america, between 1890 and 1950 in the tradition of modernist literature, but the dates of the. In common with many other modernists, these poets wrote in reaction to the perceived excesses of victorian poetry, with its emphasis on traditional formalism and ornate diction.
It offers a critical overview of major and emerging american poets of the twentieth century in addition to critical accounts of the. Robinson and the shift in modernist poetry style video. However, as modernist poetry in english developed, longer poems came to the fore. Click here to read about the influence of technology on modern literature. Modernist poetry in english 2007 wikipedia selection. Readers will find discussions of irish poetry from the traditional to the modernist, written in irish as well as english, from both north and south. A companion to modernist poetry presents contemporary approaches to modernist poetry in a uniquely indepth and accessible text. In imagist poetry, the writer does not talk about the themes behind the image. This companion offers the most comprehensive overview available of modernist poetry, its forms, its major authors and its contexts. Modernist poetry in english started in the early years of the 20th century with the appearance of the imagists. The cambridge companion to american modernism edited by. Jan 19, 2015 the cambridge companion to modern american poetry comprises original essays by nineteen distinguished scholars. Alex davis author of the cambridge companion to modernist. This companion brings together leading scholars in the fi eld to reexamine first world war poetry in english at the start of the centennial commemoration of the war.
The bloomsbury companion to modernist literature bloomsbury. Jenkins university college cork cambridge university press. The cambridge companion to modernism edited by michael. Shortly after the waste land was published in 1922, it became the archetypical modernist text, rife with allusions, linguistic fragments, and mixed registers and languages. Jul 19, 2007 buy the cambridge companion to modernist poetry cambridge companions to literature 1 by alex davis isbn. In case that sounds a little obscure, stevens spends the rest of the poem explaining it. The cambridge companion to victorian poetry edited by joseph bristow. Feb 11, 1999 though this book is entitled the cambridge companion to modernism, i would note that with most of its essays, it is hardly a companion to the average reader.
Jan 23, 2014 in general, modernist literature is characterized by the radical break with the traditions of literary subjects, forms, concepts and styles. Modernist poetry refers to poetry written, mainly in europe and north america, between 1890 and 1950 in the tradition of modernist literature, but the dates of the term depend upon a number of factors, including the nation of origin, the particular school in question, and the biases of the critic setting the dates. Modern poetry is markedly different from classic poetry. The best poems of modernism elements, aspects, influences and examples of modernism in english and american poetry which poets wrote the best poems of modernism. Modern poetry, he says, has to be the poem of the mind in the act of finding what will suffice 12. Before the industrial revolution and world war i, poetry was mostly optimistic and used images of nature. The companion combines a broad grounding in the essential texts and contexts of the modernist movement with the unique insights of scholars whose careers have been devoted to the study of modernism. These original essays by twelve distinguished scholars of international reputation offer critical overviews of the major genres, literary culture, and. The oxford companion to modern poetry hardcover ian.
Second edition edited by michael levenson frontmatter more information v contents list of illustrations page vii notes on contributors viii chronology xi introduction 1 michael levenson 1 the metaphysics of modernism 9 michael bell 2 the cultural economy of modernism 33 lawrence rainey. British literature comparison of romanticism and modernism. Joe clearys cambridge companion to irish modernism is an overdue introduction to irish modernism. In this book, leading international scholars explore the major ideas and debates that have made the study of modernist literature one of the most vibrant areas of literary studies today. Modernist poetry and the canon durham research online. Cambridge companions are lively, accessible introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics and periods. Jul 05, 20 is modern poetry too complicated for modern readers. It offers a critical overview of major and emerging american poets of the twentieth century, in addition to critical accounts of the representative schools, movements, regional settings, archival resources, and critical reception that define modern american poetry. Modernist poetry in english mcgill university school of. This companion is a companion for the cambridge companion to modernism 1999, the cambridge companion to american modernism 2005, the cambridge companion to twentiethcentury english poetry 2007, the cambridge companion to the modernist novel 2007, not to mention the cambridge introduction to modernism 2007 and much else. The cambridge companion to modern american poetry comprises original essays by nineteen distinguished scholars.
Literature scholars differ over the years that encompass the modernist period, however most generally agree that modernist authors published as early as the 1880s and into the mid1940s. The first section of the volume reflects the attention to historical and cultural context that has been especially fruitful in recent scholarship. Eliot, tended to favor intellect over emotion, and. Fitzgeralds this side of paradise, the great gatsby, and the cambridge companion to. To clarify, not all contemporary poetry is considered modern in the sense of the modernist literary movement. About the bloomsbury companion to modernist literature. The cambridge companion to modernism by michael levenson. Modernist poets changed the content, themes, and style of poetry.
Other poets most often associated with modernism include h. It is much easier to show than to tell what modernism brought to poetry. Jul 19, 2007 buy the cambridge companion to modernist poetry cambridge companions to literature 1 by lee m. As a field, irish modernism has, of course, flourished out of the expansion of both modernist and irish studies, but it has been slow to carve out a distinct space of its own. Modernist poetry context click here to read about modernist attitudes to the city. In poetry, we can discuss the modernist elements in terms of four major subheadings. Buy the cambridge companion to modernist poetry cambridge companions to literature 1 by lee m. Provides an indepth and accessible summary of the latest trends in the study of modernist poetry balances. The cambridge companion to modernist poetry cambridge. Modernism is a comprehensive movement which began in the closing years of the 19th century and has had a wide influence internationally during much of the 20th century.
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