What significant historical and human events may have influenced Modernism?
Modernism has been arguably the most important artistic movement of the twentieth century. It is characterized by a certain malaise, a generally dark perspective on the state of the world, a sense of the meaninglessness of what were once held as society's certainties, and a conviction that only the rebellious artist tells the truth about the world.
In many works, there is a sense of disillusionment, alienation, and meaninglessness as a result of World War I:
Other major events which affected Modernism are the Great Depression, the rise of Fascism, and the horrors of total war with World War II.
In American literature, Ernest Hemingway became a voice of the alienated and disillusioned, particularly through his male characters. In one story, "Another Country," soldiers are wounded and thus removed from battle. After becoming distanced from...
