Thomas Stearns Eliot: The Characteristics Of Modernism In English Literature

The term Modernism was marked as a period of sudden and unexpected breaks with traditional views and interacting with the world. It was a time when individualism and experimentation became admirable, where as before they were commonly discouraged (Rahn). It was also a time of revolt against the conservative values and realism. By the twentieth century, the Modernist period in English literature took an instinctive turn against the Victorian art and culture (Rahn). Gone was the Romantic period that focused on nature and being. Modernist began to write about the inner self and consciousness. Those who felt the traditional ways were ending believed that their forms of art, literature, and daily life were becoming outdated in an era of an emerging …show more content…
These poets pushed the limits of their abilities to lengths previously unimaginable. A salient characteristic of Modernism poets had was their expression towards the world, real and edifying of the current state of the world at the time (Rahn). However, no Modernist poet has gained more admiration and attention than Thomas Stearns Eliot has. One of the most peculiar characteristics Eliot had in his work was the manner in which he able to go from a very formal style to a casual verse. Even though his poetic voice was easy and informal, underneath lies hidden meanings, an exact style expressing what Modernist poetry was in general. In other words, the “layering of meanings and contrasting of styles” was what defined Modernist poetry during this time (Rahn). T.S. Eliot single handedly contributed to the twentieth century by reusing the highly intelligent yet indirect poetry. Eliot was the innovator of the satirical style in poetry, which appears to have only one meaning, but is hiding difficult truths (Rahn).
Another important characteristic of Modernist literature is experimenting with different genres and forms. T.S. Eliot wrote The Waste Land; the long poem is the justification of the movement and best exemplifies this experimental mode. In the poem Eliot writes in a biblical style, seemingly casual breaks, with very intense and frequent references all throughout that even the experienced readers …show more content…
He was a famous writer with a simple and deliberate style of writing. Yet, his words had deeper meanings that were sensitive, often having the ability to take the readers to the place and situation of the characters (McMillan). Hemingway created and overabundance of writing throughout his lifetime. Most of them were written in his strict form of style that used an economical way of using words. He was an American writer who first started writing as a journalist. Shortly after that, he aided the Italians during the First World War ("Ernest Hemingway - Biography."). Serving as a huge influence on his writing including a novel he wrote called, A Farewell to Arms which talks about a tragic wartime love story (McMillan). It was stories such as this that earned Hemingway’s reputation as one of the greatest writer during the Modern era. Each story and short story he wrote had its own distinct narrative style and shifting points of view while still having that ability to create a deeper meaning to the