Modernism Questions
Bring on the tough stuff. There's not just one right answer.
- Just because a writer produced work during the period usually designated as Modernism (roughly 1890-the 1930s), does that automatically make that person a Modernist?
- Which characteristic of Modernism is, in your opinion, the most defining when it comes to playing the "Is this writer a Modernist?" game?
- What about writers who began writing during this period and continued into much later in the 20th century? Do they necessarily stop being Modernists and become Post-Modernists somewhere late in their careers?
- Does Modernism always take the same forms in every country or culture where it is found? If not, then what makes it Modernism?
- What is often called High Modernism happened in the Twenties, an economically flush time in many countries when new industries and technologies—think automobiles and film, for example—made the future seem promising and prosperous. Did the Great Depression substantially alter or even kill Modernism?
- Is Modernism really time-bound at all, or can a person writing at some other time be a Modernist if that person operates by the same rules?
- If all Modernists are rebels, what is the #1 most important thing they're rebelling against?