Evolution of Modern Poetry in the 20th Century
Modern poetry in English emerged in the early 20th century as a reaction to Victorian formalism. Modernists drew inspiration from diverse literary traditions, including Greek, Chinese, and Japanese poetry, to create works that depicted social changes and the impact of World War I. Themes of materialism, realism, and the rejection of romanticism characterize modern poetry, with a focus on human psychology and emotions. The role of power, myth, and the shift from traditional beliefs in the face of modern civilization are also explored in modernist poetry.
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Modern Poetry: Introduction Modern poetry in English started in the early years of 20thcentury with the appearance of the imagists. Modern poets wrote in reaction to the excesses of Victorian poetry with its emphasis on traditional formalism and ornate diction . They sought to bring poetry to the layman.
Modern Poetry: Introduction Modernists saw themselves as looking back to the best practices of poetry in earlier periods and cultures. Their models included ancient Greek literature , Chinese And Japanese poetry , the troubadours , Dante ,medieval Italian philosophical poets and Metaphysical poetry. Much of early modernist poetry took the form of short , compact lyrics. As it is developed , longer poems came to the foreground. These represent thereof the modernist movement to the twentieth century English poetic canon. Imagism , symbolism and free verse are some of the important movements in modern poetry . Moreover, the use of classical myth and the effect of World War I are important aspects of modern poetry . Modern poetry has been influenced by the social changes of twentieth century . One significant feature of modern poetry is representation of social changes due to technical innovation and violence of World War I . Modern man is not traditionalist . Modern people are much more interested in material comfort than spiritual comfort. As a result , material success becomes the only goal of modern man although it may be achieved in an illicit way .
Modern poetry Many poets of the modern era have portrayed these aspects of modern man in their poetry . Not only do social values change but also the style of writing . People prefer to read realistic forms of writing . They love to read every day language instead of the elevated one . Romanticism and morals are ignored in modern era . Modern man also ignores folklore and religious myths. Modern poetry is influenced by these changing social values . Eliot s The Waste Land is the best example of the portrayal of modern society. Modern poetry also includes realism through realistic presentations of human life . Romanticism is often denied in modern poetry . Modern poetry only deals with the reality of human life . There may be imagination but it is connected with the reality of human psychology , sufferings , happiness or emotions. Modern poetry shifts from the conventional form of writing . It often observes the effect of World war I on every sphere of society including the field of literature . It often uses metaphysical elements comparable to the ones used by John Donne in the 16 th century ( His poems also contain irregular rhymes and meters ).
Modern Poetry The role of power is not new in the modern era . Many former writers could see that political power is strong enough to abolish traditional values and religious beliefs. Political leaders are often able to manipulate religion and social culture . In modern era , World War I becomes a strong force to abolish traditional beliefs and creating a lost generation . Modern poets often have the tendency to use myth in their poetry. They feel that myth has an important role in controlling human behaviour. They have used classical myth in their writings because they want to understand the shift from the romantic era to modern era. Whether people .believe in it or not , myth has a spiritual influence on human nature. Modern poetry breaks the rules of conventional forms of writing. Modern poets have responded to modern civilization . They have depicted the nature of modern society in their poetry . Modern poetry takes the responsibility of restoring traditional beliefs . Moreover , the movements of symbolism , imagism and free verse differentiate modern poetry from traditional one. .
Imagism It is a 20thcentury movement in poetry . It started in England and America between 1912- 1917. This revolt is run by Ezra Pound against the poetic theory of T.E .Hulme . The main principles are : 1. The use of free verse . 2. An object has to be treated directly in the poem. 3.Poets have to use only necessary words. 4. It advocated the use of colloquial language. 4. The poem has to have a musical rhythm . But musical rhythm may not be in sequence of a metronome. 5.Expressions of ideas and emotions with clear , well defined images rather than through romanticism or symbolism . 6.Complete freedom of subjects.
Symbolism The term is used to refer to an early modernist literary movement which started in France during the 19thcentury. It reacted against the prevailing standards of realism . Writers aimed to evoke , indirectly and symbolically , an order of being beyond the material world of five senses .Symbolists were personal . They used a private set of symbols identifiable with the individual poet. The aim was to express in words the highly complex feelings which grew out of every day contact with the world. In a broader sense , symbolism refers to the use of one object to stand for another. Early members of this school included Charles Baudelaire , W.B. Yeats , James Joyce and T .S . Eliot were influential as the movement moved back to Ireland , England and the United states. Examples of the concept of symbolism include a flag to stand for a nation , an empty cupboard used to suggest helplessness , poverty and despair.
Free Verse Another aspect of modern poetry is free verse . Free verse is open form verse , organized in irregular metrical form . It has irregular line length, and either lacks rhyme or else uses it only sporadically . Modern poetry often has irregular lines but has a musical rhythm.
