Thinking Activity: The Setting of 20th Century Literature

This Blog-post is a response of thinking activity on 'The Setting of twentieth century literature' which is given by our Professor Dr. Dilip Barad Sir. To know more about this task, CLICK HERE.

• Highlights on the settings of twentieth century Literature:

As Dilip Barad Sir always said that, whenever we studied literature and if we studied the reason behind the writing, we should have the historical sense to know more about the particular event. There is something events behind the writing.Here are some key points of the chapter:

• Looked back to the Victorian Age
• Scientific Revolution
• Rule of the Expert or The Voice of Authority
• Death of Artistic Craftsmanship
• The revolt from Victorianism 
• The Bloomsbury Group
• The New Criticism 
• Anti-Heroes
• Economical Consequences 
• Escapism 
• Advertisements 

A.C.Ward mentioned in the book 'Twentieth Century Literature.' in very first chapter, we introduced about the setting of the twentieth century.Here are some highlights of the chapter: A.C.Ward said "In the first fifty years of the twentieth century the human race moved through a remarkable series of upheavals than during perhaps fifty generations in the past." The growing of the century's people were in physical and materialistic level. There was the mastery of, that how lived in with the material sources. According to Ward, he mentioned that one of the most important feature of the century is 'Scientific Revolution.' Progress and Regress were both main aspects of this revolution. Ward also gave an example of Aeroplane and Nuclear bomb. How we think to make such a huge invention which fly in the sky with many peoples and how it convert to the danger, for example America's attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki  during second world war. 

Ward mention to addressed the previous age, Victorian age with this statement, "Young men and young women during the twentieth century looked back upon the Victorian age as dull and hypocritical. Victorian ideals appeared mean and superficial and stupid" The people of the century looked back with the outlook of periodical change to the Victorian age and evaluate that how  the previous age was dull and hypocritical behaving. For example we can see Samuel Richardson's poem 'The Rape of the Lock.'

The control of authorities like, in religion the control by the authority of priest or pope, in politics the control  by the authority of particular political party or leaders and in the home, the control by the authority of the father. This authorities perhaps change from the Victorian era to Modern era.The rule of Expert which means in the century(modern century) if we have the question related to the science, we not asking to the expert of the science but we will ask to the Google direct because it will be very easier to ask and get answer due to we now habituated of the short period of time. Here Google ruling as an expert. And at the result we can see that the real artistic craftsmanship is coming to the end. Ward also give the example that"Andrew Undershaft declaration in Shaw's  Major Barbara: 'That is what is wrong with the world at present. It scraps its obsolete steam engines and dynamos; but it won't scrap its old prejudices and its old moralities and its old religions and its old political constitutions' The effect of this was invigorating to some; but others might have expressed their sensations in the words of Barbara herself, 'I stood on the rock I thought eternal; and without a word it reeled and crumbled under me'.  The people of the century tried to avoid its sense of stability, its striving for order, its consciousness of dignity which created for the multitude only a spiritual vacuum. Ward also gave several example of Hardy, Butler, who were raised their voice as anti-Victorians. Their path was'Art for life sake' life perhaps presents the community or the people of 19th. 

• The Bloomsbury Group:

  

                            

Blue plaque, 51 Gordon Square, London(from Wikipedia)

The group was associated with english philosopher, writers, intellectuals and artists of the first half of 20th century. As Ward wrote, "There is no need to distinguish between two groups of writers: the group that was already established in the first decade of the present century; and the group that had not so far begun to produce,but was shaping its ideas largely in conformity with a work which had no public impact, G E Moore's Principia Ethica (1903)."  They believed in the principle of 'Art of Art sake' which not shown in Victorians literature. Later on in the post-Bloomsbury Group, there was Roger Fry was pioneer of the group, also the member of the group was Virginia Woolf' sister, Vanessa Stephen and Duncan Grant who was the British Painter. The New Criticism based on the textual analysis. 

At the earlier pf 1929, the anti-war books were started to write down.Like C.E Montague’s Disenchantment (1922),Montague Fiery Particles (1923), Rough Justice (1926),Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front (1929) Death of a Hero  by Richard Aldington(1929). In those novel, the description they gave about darkness of the war, cruelty,political speeches like Hitler. The anti-war books were started to write, on the other side we found that the escapism from the real society.As E.M.Froster wrote, . We may retire to our towers because we are afraid….but there is another motive for retreat. Boredom: disgust: indignation against the herd, the community, and the world: the conviction that sometimes come to the solitary individual that his solitude gives him something finer and greater than he gets when we merges in the multitudes…. the community is a selfish and, to further its own efficiency, is a traitor to the side of human nature which expresses itself in solitude.

In twentieth century, we see that the invention of magazines, newspapers were growing up with how to advertise the event of a particular thing to convey their massage to the people. But Ward said that it how appear before 1939 were 'advertising agents' now became 'Incorporated Practitioners in Advertising.' This term was popularized by the writing of the American Left-wing economics Thorstein Veblen(1857-1929), author of The Theory of the Leisure Class(1899). He also mentioned that 'depth psychology' of viewers and makers. At the rest of the chapter, Ward presents the outfit of Victorian Age that how the age back from their real time. 

• Science-Fiction Literature: 

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, Fantasy is 'something that is produced by the imagination : an idea about doing something that is far removed from normal reality' Time and again the science played very vital roll in  Fiction which means 'an invented story' and comping up with the century it mingled with science and we called it Science Fiction(Sci-Fi).

Cover page of the Novel 

Foundation:An Interplanetary is a scientific novel by American novelist Issac Asimov. It was first published in series form, later on Asimov collects all five short stories in one book. The five short stories merged in this novel are,"The Psychohistorians","The Encyclopedists","The Mayors", "The Traders" and "The Merchant Princes." was published in 1951. The whole story presents the fall of Roman Empire. The story has set in the future where the humans have colonized the Galaxy. Hari Seldon was the creator of Psychohistorians and the foundation. In this novel, Asimov was become the first writer who used atomic power(nuclear power) to revolutionized the society. Through the character of Seldon he raises the voice against the issues about traditional religion which as the controlling drug of the masses and the rise of science as the new faith for humankind. (The source from - Britannica) Here is the summary and explanation. 

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