Modernism: Evolution of an Idea

Description

What exactly is “modernism”? And how and why has its definition changed over time? Modernism: Evolution of an Idea is the first book to trace the development of the term “modernism” from cultural debates in the early twentieth century to the dynamic contemporary field of modernist studies. Rather than assuming and recounting the contributions of modernism's chief literary and artistic figures, this book focuses on critical formulations and reception through topics such as: – The evolution of “modernism” from a pejorative term in intellectual arguments, through its condemnation by Pope Pius X in 1907, and on to its subsequent centrality to definitions of new art by T. S. Eliot, Laura Riding and Robert Graves, F. R. Leavis, Edmund Wilson, and Clement Greenberg – New Criticism and its legacies in the formation of the modernist canon in anthologies, classrooms, and literary histories – The shifting conceptions of modernism during the rise of gender and race studies, French theory, Marxist criticism, postmodernism, and more – The New Modernist Studies and its contemporary engagements with the politics, institutions, and many cultures of modernism internationally With a glossary of key terms and movements, a capacious critical bibliography, and a companion website with additional resources, this is an essential survey for students and scholars working in modernist studies at all levels Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Is There a There There? Chapter 1 The Emergence of “Modernism” Overview “Modernism” and new forms Creating modern movements Grasping the “New” Novelty and tradition New criticism, Eliot, and modernism Form across fields Autonomy and the left Could the center hold? Notes Chapter 2 Consolidation Overview Forging traditions Taking stock of “Modernism” Modernisms The Marxist canon Modernism’s discontents Notes Chapter 3 Iron Filings Overview Marxism and mass culture Feminism and revision Black modernism The arrival of “Theory” The avant-garde Postmodernism Modernism in transition Notes Chapter 4 Networks Overview The changing field and its institutions Modernism, gender, and sexuality Modernist races Modernism in a global context Modernism’s print cultures Modernism and mass media Modernism and the law Modernism, war, and violence Modernism, science, and technology Modernism and environments Conclusion Notes Glossary Critical Bibliographies for the New Modernist Studies Modernism as a concept (including surveys, anthologies, and introductions) Modernism, gender, and sexuality Modernist races Modernism in a global context Modernism’s print cultures Modernism and mass media Modernism and the law Modernism, war, and violence Modernism, science, and technology Modernism and environments Works Cited Index