Modernism refers to a strong shift from the traditional ways of thinking or perceiving. It signifies a separation of the two where peoples’ perception of things changes.
It takes into account the ‘thinking’ aspect of individuals stressing on the unconscious observable self. It is characterized by a pronounced response against what has been laid down ranging from politics through religion to the society. A modernist holds that peoples’ perceptions are the determinant of the nature of everything and hence, no fixed certainty about them. They assert that the future is imaginary while the past is completely far from them.
Modern fictions on the other hand are contemporary literature works founded on purely imaginations. It opens up the world from all angles, philosophically, politically, theoretically, just to mention a few. It erases the realist view of it by people. Modern fiction constitutes quite a number elements ranging from time and realism to openness. This overview checks these into details.
Time and realism is a crucial element of modern literature. “Time, in Modernist literature, may take the reader through a day in the life of a narrator, whereas in Realism, the reader is taken into a year in the life of the characters” (Childs 25). This shows that this notion of time and as applied in literature is not chronological but recurrent.
It takes place in a free will manner. The cyclic notion of time in a fiction arises when a novelist takes readers through an unorganized literary journey. As he/she encounters images, he/she is unable to predict which will follow. What is expected may even fail to be realized in the unfolding of the entire fiction. Free will and the discovery of the subconscious is also a result of this notion.
The writer gives the reader a chance to go beyond him/herself through thoughts entering into the thoughts of others where he/she has the free will of discovering how they operate both in their minds as well as in their subconscious. The life of people in and out of the presence of God is more of a theoretical supposition resulting from modernisms.
Another element of modern fiction is openness. It stands out as an aesthetic following the writer’s presentation of their works, novels, encounters, and poems. This element distinguishes the modern fiction from any other that has ever existed. It addresses openness on the issues of family, masculinity and feminism, the mind, not sparing bisexuality.
This on the other hand has led to an increased use of imagery in modern fiction, which has added beauty in the works of the authors. Following the introduction of this element in literature, the significant difference between the modern and the previous fictions arouses doubts, a case that has led to the shift on study. The shifts in politics influences modern fiction to a larger extend.
It depicts the changes in the social life, which ranges from country-town through personal-public to land-industry. There is also a significant change in the area of development and the peoples’ view of life, which is evident from Carl Max capitalism views.
In conclusion, modern fiction centers on the notions of doubt of spiritual or governmental institutions, individuality, and the skepticism of certainty. It makes a move from realism addressing the relevant shifts in both history and the society employing the element of openness as well as time and realism.
Works Cited
Childs, Peter. “Modernism: The New Critical Idiom” London: Continuum, 2007.