Modern Literature and its Impact on Culture
In general, modernism or modern literature can be described as a radical shift from traditional forms to the use of new and innovative ways of expression (Ashton 14). Therefore, in the entire history, literature has been classified into a different stage of modernization. The term modern literature describes the creative outcome of thinkers, artists, and scholars who realized the traditional forms of expression were becoming obsolete based on the new social, cultural, and economic situations. Modern literature can be traced at the beginning of the twentieth century and roughly through 1965 (Ashton 14). After modernism, the past aspects were to be treated differently from the modern era and interacted differently with culture. Ashton et al. demonstrate contemporary literature in their piece, “Studies in Victorian and Modern Literature: A Tribute to John Sutherland” and its significant role in society.
Both war and industrialization were considered as aspects that devalued people because writers responded differently toward the new world. However, modern literature is based on similar characteristics. Firstly, the individualism aspect is used to depict individuals who are more stimulating than society (Wang 104). Most modern writers postulated how they felt captivated by how people were adapting to changes in the world. Therefore, society in the modern world is presented as the integrity challenge of the character. Secondly, the experimentation aspect implies how modernist writers abandoned the traditional forms of writing and encouraged the development of freestyles of verses.
In the long-run, they developed a narration form called stream of consciousness whereby the standpoint of novels resembles human thoughts. Thirdly, absurdity is also a vital characteristic of modern literature. Since most English poets and writers were killed in WWI, many scholars of the time believed the world was becoming more absurd every day. Later, the violence in WWII was a sound indication that humanity had been lost (Ashton 18). Lastly, symbolism is considered as the valid characteristic associated with modernism. Multiple modern scholars have merged the images, objects, and people with a different meaning. Although symbolism is not a new concept in literature, modern scholars have become more innovative to establish more profound imaginations than the traditional writers.
Generally, modern research has been considered useful in schools and society as a whole. Establishing more modernized literature in classes will reduce the distance between the student and materials and encourage them to do better. Incorporating pictures, individuals, and other images make students to be more innovative and to think beyond the box to understand the hidden meaning of various phrases in modern literature (King 56). According to modern scholars, contemporary literature is essential in expanding the horizons of most readers. It offers the reader an inside look of how culture has evolved from traditional form to the modern aspect of technology and fiction as well.
Modern literature has aided in opening the mind of individuals to understand what different cultures have to offer primarily in contemporary society. Therefore, it provides a unique insight concerning the past and present nature of the culture, and help to establish a stronger connection to other individuals concerning their lifestyles (Wang 106). Besides, modern literature provides an insight concerning the present, past, and future. Concerning the past, modernism has provided a framework where readers can understand how traditional scholars were undertaking their artistic activities to bring meaning to people (Bruster 88). This makes an individual understand the origin of the culture and where your people came from. Generally, modern literature provides a framework to learn mistakes that were done predecessors in the past and how they can be avoided in the future. It gives readers an overview of present politics and essential aspects of the lives of people living around us.
Since modern literature included fiction, scholars can effectively predict how the future will look, both the bad and the good. Moreover, modern literature has helped in making critical thinking skills better since people can effectively question their writing abilities. This type of literature incorporates images, individuals, objects, and other forms of symbolism in various books that push the reader to desire to understand the hidden meaning within the context of human life. In a nutshell, people nowadays can make a connection between the themes and characters in a book and understand various ways to apply it in real life (Caporicci and Armelle 11). Similarly, literature has instilled practical writing skills to modern scholars making the reader’s question their abilities. Reading the book from the perspective of a writer who wrote a particular book, readers can easily understand what the author imagined while writing, and what he meant. Therefore, modern literature can be considered a valuable tool, which has influenced both the past and present nature of society.
Literature has been described as a substantial tool and a mirror that helps us to reflect and understand the world we live in better. Some pieces of contemporary literature help to understand the contemporary issues affecting humanity and other aspects of life, such as individual conflicts. Although people may think that every problem has a quick path to a solution, modern literature postulates about the complexity of issues such as sexuality and conflict (Dobson and Nichola 34). This implies that literature can help individuals to see things from a broader perspective, so as to establish a wide range of perspectives. Since literature is considered a reflection of humanity, reading or listening to other individuals can help you understand their ways of thinking. Modern literature has, therefore, influenced the past and contemporary society as well.
In the past, literature was used by society to reflect both good and bad aspects of behavior. This is because literature views human action and behavior in the form of words, thus, and traditional research can be used to describe the behavior of that era (Bruster 88). Literature has played a significant role in the development of modern society. For instance, modern literature has shaped the overall political system, exposed justice, and enhanced the civilization process. It allows people to give a detailed preview of human experiences enabling people to connect different levels of emotions and desires. In contemporary society, literature has helped in understanding life from a broader perspective.
Multiple scholars have come up with more advanced literary works that have intensified people’s ability to understand life. Great poetic and literary work such as; Studies in Victorian and Modern Literature’ has enabled people to take a close look at diverse facets of living. People have established various ways of living through understanding different elements of literature and their meaning (Caporicci and Armelle 11). Likewise, modern literature provides a great deal of information that is used as a base by multiple scholars and scientists. Research works of different famous inventors postulate stories concerning their ground-breaking innovation, encouraging members of the society to be more creative and innovative in what they do. Advanced developments in the field of technology and science have adequately been documented for people to read about them and incorporate them into their lives to make it better.
Multiple ancient scriptures have been documented concerning human evolution and individual life narratives and aid in the development of humankind. Thus, modern literature, as a source of information, has greatly influenced society (Bruster 88). Furthermore, modernism has been depicted to impose a substantial impact on living. Most of the great literary work, primarily the Bible and other theological books, provide the society with a great deal of life-guiding principles that are essential for peaceful co-existence between individuals. Most scholars in contemporary society have established modern literature that provides life lessons based on different tales and fiction, as well. Through literature, the moral standards and values of society have been improved.
In summary, modern literature can describe the creative outcome of thinkers, artists, and scholars who realized the traditional form of expression was becoming obsolete. Modern literature is attributed to various unique characteristics that make it substantial in contemporary society. It is assigned to aspects of individualism, experimentation, absurdity, and symbolism, as well. Therefore, contemporary literature is essential in opening the minds of people to view things from a different perspective. Similarly, research has instilled effective writing skills to modern scholars making the reader’s question their abilities. Furthermore, modern literature has a substantial influence on contemporary society. It makes people understand life better since there is the use of imagination, objects, and other present aspects of literature. Notably, modern literature has shaped the overall political system, exposed justice, and enhanced the civilization process.
Works Cited
Ashton, Rosemary, et al. Studies in Victorian and Modern Literature: A Tribute to John Sutherland. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. 12-23
Bruster, Douglas. Shakespeare and the Question of Culture: Early Modern Literature and the Cultural Turn. Springer, 2016. 88
Caporicci, Camilla, and Armelle Sabatier, eds. The Art of Picturing in Early Modern English Literature. Routledge, 2019. 11
Dobson, Eleanor, and Nichola Tonks, eds. Ancient Egypt in the Modern Imagination: Art, Literature and Culture. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020. 12-75
King, Emily L. Civil Vengeance: Literature, Culture, and Early Modern Revenge. Cornell University Press, 2019. 55-103
Wang, Guangdong. “6 The Modern Values of Folklore: Chinese Modern Literature and the Morphology of Folk Culture.” On China’s Cultural Transformation. BRILL, 2016. 100-111.