Analysis Of Modernist Literature

The literature of the twentieth century has witnessed a regular development of new genres and new ideas to be reflected in the works. The approach to the creative depiction of crucial social problems that was developed in this period shows a range of new topics as well as new motives to be covered by the writers. Modernist literature does not only offer new literature in terms of forms but also in terms of its meanings. The modernist writers challenge the view of the world that has been for so long cultivated in the literature. Instead of romanticism or realism, the modern literature is filled with abstractions and hidden meanings, with irony and even sarcastic depiction of the society in general and every individual in particular. The modernist

As for Ionesco, “man is lost; all his actions become senseless, absurd, useless” (Esslin 331). The life of a modern person seems to be empty, and people’s actions do not create anything. It seems that the only thing that those people do is look in retrospective, mention the regrets and griefs while making no single attempt to change their way of existence. With regard to this, Jean-Paul Sartre wrote that “man is the being by whom Nothingness comes into world” (Sartre 59). This has become the prominent aspect of human identity throughout the modernist period. The writers are concerned about the absence of goal or aspirations. Nevertheless, this absence does not signify the lack of meaning but rather is only the presence of powers that cannot be felt by people anymore. On the contrary, in “Bliss”, something is present, there is some inner feeling of blessing but the woman “didn't know how to express it - what to do with it” (Mansfield). Respectively, one of the issues connected with the depiction of identity in this situation is the problem of searching for reality. An individual tends to be not able to correspond to the reality, and they create their own. For example, the Old Man in Ionesco’s drama had a message to communicate to the world but “has never been understood” (Ionesco 19). His way of expression was not comprehensible to the others; thus, he was waiting for Orator to come and explain everything. Similar was with Manfield’s Bertha. She felt the blessing, still she had no idea what to do about it and how to express it. Thus, the reality for both characters was in their inability to conform to it as well as to bring their selves into the reality. Their ideas and feelings seemed to be their reality. However, it was impossible for them to get into the reality of