Modernism is the art of the tradition of the new. It is experimental, formally complex, elliptical, and tends to associate notions of the artist's freedom from realism, materialism, traditional genre and form, with notions of cultural apocalypse and disaster. It is disputable when it starts (French symbolism; decadence; the break-up of naturalism) and whether it has ended. It can be regarded as a time-bound concept (from 1890 to 1930) or a timeless one (including Lawrence Sterne, John Donne, William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge). The best focus remains a body of major writers: James, Conrad, Proust, Mann, Gide, Kafka, Svevo, Joyce, Musil, Faulkner in fiction; Strindberg, Pirandello, Wedekind, Brecht in drama; Mallarmé, Yeats, Eliot, Pound, Rilke, Stevens in poetry. Their works are aesthetically radical, contain striking technical innovations, emphasise spatial and rhythmic as opposed to chronological relations, tend towards ironic modes.
Table of Contents
1. Modernism
1.1. Definition and comparison to other literary periods
1.2. Characteristic perception and representation of reality
2. Progressive traits in Eliot's poetry vs. tradition
2.1. New tasks of the modern poetry
2.2. New themes
2.3. New forms and techniques
2.4. Tradition – religious and literary
3. Eliot's poetry and contemporary film (themes, motifs, techniques)
3.1. French Impressionism
3.2. German Expressionism
3.3. Neo-Realism
3.4. Soviet Montage
3.5. Montage in T.S. Eliot's work
Objectives and Research Focus
This work explores the intersection of T.S. Eliot's poetic innovations with the aesthetic developments of early 20th-century cinema, specifically examining how techniques like montage reflect modernist themes of fragmentation and the failure of communication.
- The evolution of Modernism as a reaction against Realism and traditional aesthetics.
- T.S. Eliot’s shift toward subjective perception and the use of the "objective correlative."
- Parallels between literary techniques and cinematic movements like French Impressionism and Soviet Montage.
- The structural function of fragmentation, quotation, and collage in constructing a "new reality" within poetry.
Excerpt from the Book
Waste Land 1-18 "April... in the winter."
The pictures unfolding in this scene are distinct and at the same time vague. A reflection over the threatening irrevocability of the change of seasons is followed by the exact name of the location, with weather details, which delineate the trite situation in the Hofgarten. Different persons are sketched and then take on definite shape, like in a close-up, due to the change from description to direct speech which is also done first in German and then in English. The close-up is dissolved immediately through the reminiscence of some action which took place somewhere else in the past. There is another close-up when this memory conveys a piece of the dialogue.
The arrangement of pictures in the sequence is determined through the cut, so that separate frames abruptly bump into each other. The pictures offered are rich in telling details but the cut prevents them from unfolding.
Summary of Chapters
1. Modernism: This chapter defines Modernism as an experimental movement challenging traditional realism and outlines the socio-historical shifts that influenced the subjective turn in literature.
2. Progressive traits in Eliot's poetry vs. tradition: This section details Eliot’s specific poetic innovations, including the objective correlative, new thematic focus on urban isolation, and the use of polyphony and fragmentation.
3. Eliot's poetry and contemporary film (themes, motifs, techniques): This chapter provides a comparative analysis between filmic movements (Impressionism, Expressionism, Soviet Montage) and Eliot’s literary methods, focusing on the construction of reality through montage.
Keywords
Modernism, T.S. Eliot, Montage, Objective Correlative, Realism, Film Theory, Fragmentation, Subjectivity, Literary Innovation, Soviet Montage, Impressionism, Expressionism, Communication Failure, The Waste Land, Cultural Heritage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this publication?
The work focuses on T.S. Eliot’s poetry and its structural and thematic relationship with the avant-garde cinema of the early 20th century.
What are the primary thematic areas explored?
Key themes include industrialisation, the loss of individual identity in mass society, the failure of communication, and the shifting perception of reality.
What is the central research question?
The study investigates how modernist poets like T.S. Eliot utilized techniques similar to cinematic montage to represent a fragmented modern experience.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses a comparative literature approach, linking formal literary analysis with film theory and historical context.
What does the main body address?
It covers the definition of Modernism, the progressive evolution of Eliot’s poetic craft, and an in-depth analysis of montage techniques in both poetry and film.
How would you characterize this work through keywords?
The work is characterized by terms such as Modernism, montage, subjective perception, literary innovation, and filmic narrative structures.
How does the author define the "objective correlative"?
It is defined as a set of objects or situations that serve as the formula for a specific emotion, allowing the experience to become universal rather than merely individual.
In what way does Eliot’s use of quotation mirror Soviet Montage?
Similar to Eisenstein’s "collision montage," Eliot removes quotations from their original contexts and places them alongside trivial or contrasting material to force the reader to construct new meaning.
- Arbeit zitieren
- LL.M., MA Irina Giertz (Autor:in), 2005, T.S. Eliot and the Peak of Modernism, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/285211
