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Sigmund Freud and Joseph Breuer publish "Studies in Hysteria"
Their book greatly influenced Modernist poetry in style and subject matter and introduced the idea of the form stream of consciousness. -
William James publishes "Studies in Hysteria"
Proposes the notion that our conscious mind is only a part of our mental state, and that subconscious fears and trauma influence our thoughts and actions; writers of the period were largely influenced by this idea.
our conscious minds are only the tip of the mental iceberg, and that beneath the surface, hidden fears and traumas guide our thinking and our behavior. Writers of the period found this idea fertile ground for exploration… and they still do today. -
Sigmund Freud publishes "Interpretations of Dreams"
Dreams had been thought of as meaningless, which Freud opposes and states that they were actually a window to the innermost parts of ourselves. -
Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity (General theory was introduced in 1915)
Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity proposes that the measured speed of light is constant even if the observer of the light is moving, which questioned the reality of the mind, dreams, and time and space. -
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Cubism
The broken up and reassembled objects in the paintings of this movement influenced some Modernist poetry -
Start of Modernism
Modernism was greatly influenced by new technological advances and philosophical discoveries occurring -
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World War I
The "War to End all Wars" had a major impact on the modernism movement, strengthening it and introducing the ideals of the decay and alienation of society. -
Cathay by Ezra Pound
A collection of classical Chinese poetry. Chinese poetry influenced modernist poets, such as Ezra Pound. -
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Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a far-left ideology. It is based on principles of class conflict, egalitarianism, rationalism, and social progress. These ideals were expressed in Modernist poetry. -
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Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance branched off from the modernist movement, and many of the poets who visited France were vastly influenced by the Modernist poets there. -
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Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that reveals the unconscious mind in dream images and promotes the irrational and impossible promoted in realistic detail, -
Woman's Suffrage
Women gained the right to vote, this influenced the way society viewed women. -
"The Wasteland" by T.S. Elliot
Considered one of the most important poems of the 20th century, "The Wasteland" is a fundamental part of modern literature. The poem shifts between satire and prophecy and it features abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location and time. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a worldwide economic depression, and the slumping state of society fueled the modernist movement. -
World War II
World War II changed the way many people viewed reality, and artists of this newer generation pursued a more democratic and pluralistic mode for poetry. -
End of Modernism
The end of the modernist movement, and close to the start of the post-modernist movement (starts around 1970) which is an off-shoot of modernism.
