Characteristics of Modernism within American Literature

 

Bettelheim, Jolan. "Industrial Section." 1936, The MET 

            Modernism within American Literature was a response in the early 20^th century to the disillusionment and fragmentation that arose from World War 1, the industrial revolution, urbanization, and many the many civil rights issues of the time. Authors of this period strove to capture this fragmented and disillusioned reality in many ways, often focusing on the themes of alienation and individuality. They sought to break away from traditional forms by experimenting with new techniques, such as the “stream of consciousness,” fragmented styles, free verse, Dadaism, and Surrealism. These authors focused on individual experience, emotions and inner thoughts, to celebrate the individual and unique perspectives that were vital to acknowledging the fractured reality around them. But they also did this by using symbols and imagery to suggest rather than directly stating complex truths and reality. Within the 10^th edition of The Norton Anthology of American Literature 1914-1945, there are many modernist authors and their works available to pursue, three of which beautifully capture some of the unique ways modernist authors sought to capture human disillusionment with and the fragmentation of the world, Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” (pp 256,) Carl Sandburg’s “Chicago” (pp 289-290,) and Ezra Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro” (pp 317.)

            While Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” has a more traditional form, that of a ballad structure, Frost uses simple and straightforward language to compare nature to society to highlight the theme of alienation that is central to modernism (pp 256). Frost focuses on an individual, and the poem is told through the speaker’s point of view, allowing the reader into his personal experience and his internal thoughts, for example in line one, “Whose woods these are I think I know,” allows us to understand that the speaker is familiar with this section of the woods and its owner. Frost also employees the use of symbols and vivid imagery to suggest a sense of the speaker’s emotional state as well as of the natural world. For instance, snow can symbolize death or the passage of time, the woods can symbolize the unknown, and the speaker’s journey itself could be seen as a representation of life’s journey. The last four lines of this poem; in particular, highlight both the sense of alienation but also of escapism. As the speaker contemplates the beauty of the unknown, “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep (line 13),” his practical obligations, “But I have promises to keep (line 14),” and the inevitability of death, “And miles to go before I sleep (line 15).”

            Within Carl Sandburg’s “Chicago,” is an example of modernism that more abundantly bucks the traditional forms of poetry, as Sandburg uses free verse in an attempt to capture the flow of everyday speech and the chaotic nature and rhythm of life in urban Chicago, by combining short lines, long lines, and lists. He uses this free verse style to personify Chicago as a living and breathing entity, “show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive (289, 14).” Sandburg, like many modernists, uses rich sensory details, “Stormy, husky, brawling (289, line 4),” and focuses on the working class, “Hog Butcher,” and “Tool Maker (289, lines 1; 2).” But Sandburg also grapples with the disillusionment of the time, which can be seen in how he acknowledges the flaws and challenges of Chicago, while at the same time celebrating it. For example, he acknowledges the prostitutes, murderers, and poverty that have infected the city (289, lines 6-11).

            While Ezra Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro,” personifies Modernism within American Literature. As The Norton Anthology of American Literature 1914-1945 explains on page 313, that Pound played a central role within the creation and articulation of Modernism, but especially of Imagism, a sub-category of modernism. It is incredibly short and uses vivid imagery and unexpected comparisons to highlight urban life. This poem is only two lines long, and its concise language highlights the modernist view that only words necessary to the meaning should be used, a clear break away from traditional forms of poetry. He uses natural imagery and compares it with the urban setting, the faces of the crowd to the” petals on a wet, black bough,” in an effort to capture a specific fleeting moment of time and create a powerful impression (317, line 2).

            Regardless of which Modernist voice presents the story within American Literature, as seen through the explorations of the characteristics that separate modernism from other literary ages within Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods on an Snowy Evening,” Sandburg’s “Chicago,” and Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro,” Modernist authors all strove to breakaway from the traditional forms and conventions of the ages preceding it, by focusing on individuality, introducing new techniques like the stream of consciousness, to deal with the disillusionment with and fragmentation of the world.

 

Works Cited:

Levine, Robert S., et al. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Volume D: 1914-1945.
W.W. Norton & Company, 2022.

 Artwork Cited: 

Bettelheim, Jolan. "Industrial Section." 1936, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/374837

Post Updated: May 5, 2025 - image added