MODERNISM

Developments in literary Modernism still resonate with writers today. So what is Modernism? 

The term Modernism describes a European cultural movement which influenced thinking in theology, sciences and the arts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a result of advances (the industrial revolution, Darwin, Einstein, Planck, Freud, WW1) a cultural crisis occurred. Modernism challenged traditional attitudes proposing that only through the arts (painting, sculpture, poetry, drama, prose) could this cultural crisis be expressed and addressed.

Modernism in literature relates to both form and content.

Narrative time is one aspect viewed from a different perspective by Modernist writers. Frank Kermode discusses time using the Greek terms, chronos (an undirected continuous flow of events), and kairos (particular moments allocated import because of their relevance to the end). 

Modernist writers seldom perceived time as a progression of noteworthy steps leading to a momentous conclusion, but favoured kairos where single moments gain prominence because of distinctive insights gained in those moments.  Considered in this way, the traditional dramatic arc of a story recedes in importance, and the story becomes a series of scenes where content is less important than style, and the whole is seen as an object of beauty rather than an act of communication. 

Another notable feature of Modernist novels is the reduced prominence of the authorial voice.

Characters are presented in several ways: through their responses to the world; revealing how other characters see them; an internal monologue that includes thoughts about the past and the future. A further development of interior monologue is stream of consciousness - the most well known example being Ullysses by James Joyce. Interpretation of meaning is left  up to the reader. 

The question arises then – is Modernism relevant today? I think if you consider how admired and influential Hemingway, Joyce, Woolf, Elliot, Beckett and Nabokov are, to name a few, the answer is yes. Even if most writers still follow traditional structure, if we are to believe Harold Bloom, the American literary critic, writers discover their artistic impetus by reading earlier writers, and start by emulating them in order to cultivate a voice of their own. If this is the case, then Modernism has bequeathed today’s writers a rich legacy. 

Writing Update 

I have to be honest, I’m not writing a supernatural mash-up, well, I am, but it’s a romantic supernatural mash-up! I’m nearly half-way through with the speed editing of the first few chapters a distant memory - and I’m back to the slog; but as I’m re-writing/editing chapter by chapter, it’s a more tolerable slog. And most important, I’m still enjoying the process.

I constantly mull over the traditional vs self/indie publishing question, as well as wondering about PR/marketing options as I’ve one novel doing the rounds of agents/publishers. I've described the book as commercial women’s fiction (not chick lit or romcom) and wonder why we have to categorize books - it's a two stranded story about people experiencing loss, love and obsession!
And in the meantime, I realize the best decision is to keep writing. So I’m focussing on my particular twist on the eternal triangle - there are no new plots - only new ways to present them! 

Today’s Haiku  

he’s keen can’t take his

eyes off the swing of her hair –

he’ll buy what she sells  

Useful Links:

For more information about Moderism:

http://www.online-literature.com/periods/modernism.php

An informative post on scene breaks:

http://buff.ly/1em9iy4 

Join me on Twitter at: teagankearney@modhaiku 

Thank you for visiting my blog (I love when people leave comments), and to all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.

THE DRAMATIC ARC

Structure is inherent in everything around us - think of our own lives, or of anything living on this planet (including the planet itself) and you’ll have a beginning, a middle and an end. Starting with myths and legends, down through folk tales, Greek tragedies and comedies and up to the modern novel, you’ll find the same structure exists. 

Stories have:
       a beginning (introduces setting, character & conflict)
       a middle (escalation of conflict leading to climax)
       an end (conflict resolution)
For example, in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men the beginning shows Lennie and George arriving at a new farm for work; the middle where they settle down and make friends - with Lenny’s friendship culminating in disaster; and a tragic ending where George has to kill Lenny to save him from a worse fate.

There are of course many novels where the dramatic action is dealt with differently. Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway is a less obviously plot driven story, and the dramatic action, focusing on one day in Mrs. Dalloway’s life, is more subtle and internal. Woolf, as a Modernist writer, approaches time as a flow of successive events, where the meaning of a moment can only be realized in relation to that moment. She deftly demonstrates that dramatic arcs need not pivot around a grand sweeping event. The action can be small – yet its effect on a character can result in significant changes. 

Structure in a novel is the edifice on which you hang your story; it's something which is necessary, but should remain hidden in the background.

 

Writing Update.

I’ve been coasting along this week, editing a chapter every two days. At least I was until

I followed a link in a newsletter I subscribe to by Joanna Penn, and read a post by Russell Blake. I believe there is no one way to write – whatever works for you is the only rule anybody should follow – but when I read Blake had written twenty-two thrillers in thirty months, selling around 45,000 books in the last year or so, I had one of those, boy, I’d better knuckle down and work harder and faster moments. Every now and then, I realize I have to up my game if I want to achieve my goals. We'll see.

I probably should take the marketing aspect of writing more seriously than I've done so far. And with this end in mind, I’m working out how to make my Blogpress website look the way I want, as I'd like to reach more people. But I’m not holding my breath as this may take some time to come to fruition...

Today’s Haiku

COFFEE

I love that first hit

that jolt of caffeine – liquid

electricity

Useful Links

A great website full of helpful info for writers considering the self-publishing route. http://www.TheCreativePenn.com

A read of this post gives you an idea of what can be done!

http://russellblake.com/how-to-sell-loads-of-books/

Join me on Twitter at: teagankearney@modhaiku

To all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.