Introduction
Approaching modernism, the first thoughts that come to mind is its relation to artistic forms of expression, and partly such reasoning is true. Nevertheless, for the philosophical analysis of modernism as an intellectual direction such reasoning cannot be considered complete and satisfactory. The epoch of modernism can be related to substantial changes in the all-European world outlook, which was reflected differently through the works of different philosophers, authors, and artists.
Analysis
In that regard, this paper analyzes modernism as an intellectual direction, in terms of distinct ideas, through excerpts of works by Friedrich Nietzsche and Stephane Mallarme, presented in the book “The Humanistic Tradition” by Gloria Fiero. The paper states that the defining aspect of modernism, deriving from the word modern as innovation and change, was more of reaction and rejection during the period of formation.
Analyzing Friedrich Nietzsche’s ideas presented I his works and relating them to the main events of the late nineteenth century, it can be sensed that rapid technological development called for the his highly criticism of that time. Taking for example “The Madman”, a story published in “The Gay Science (1882), the narration portraits a man proclaiming that God is dead. In that sense, this story can be representative of the way Nietzsche, being an atheist, showed the decline of human morals.
It can be assumed that Nietzsche is praising the moral values provided by religion, whereas knowing the fact that he rejected the religion as an institution, it can be stated that Nietzsche points out to the fact that the materialism brought by the new technological developments will eventually lead to the degradation of moral values as they are merely based on the belief in God. Thus, if people lose such belief, they will lose the basis for their moral values; “Whither are we moving now?… Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or down left?” (Fiero 110)
In that regard, it can be seen what Nietzsche is rejecting. He is rejecting the world outlook, where people if freed from the bounds that were put on them, would state the moral values that are formulated on their own. Even if partly disagreeing with Nietzsche, his metaphor could be seen in present times, where many ethical considerations, especially for people refusing the religion as an institution, are based on pure opinions and at such created by the people themselves.
Additionally, Nietzsche in “Twilight of the Idols” (1888) rejects the idea of the moral criticism of the art, which can be seen as a tendency for the epoch of the end of the nineteenth century. “The fight against purpose in art is always a fight against the moralizing tendency in art, against its subordination to morality.” (Fiero 10) In that sense, Nietzsche is calling for locating art and beauty beyond the distinctions of the good and evil, or art for the art as stated by Nietzsche.
In that regard, this is also a rejection by Nietzsche, where it can be understood that being a modern intellectual is subjective rather than objective. There is no “right” work of art, but there is an appeal to the artist and a necessity to acknowledge the state through which the artist communicates, rather than the moral message that the artist sends.
In that regard, the ideas of Nietzsche can be seen as revolutionary or at least somewhat radical comparing to the works of other modernists. One of the directions of modernism that can be seen less “pessimistic” was symbolism. Without rejecting the subjectivity of modernism, symbolism “suggests ideas and feelings that might evoke an ideal rather than a real world.” (Fiero 111).
In the example of the poem “The Afternoon of a faun” by Stephane Mallarme, the author strives to describe not objects but the impressions and the feelings resulted from them, where the word does not designate the object but becomes a semantic association.
It floats like drowsing down
…
As cold and chaste as id the weeping spring
…
There is no murmuring water, save the gush (Fiero 112).
Conclusion
It can be seen that symbolism was deriving from modernism in its sense of rejection, where the perception of the world is also based on subjectivity, although more on the subjectivity of the artists’ intuition which reveals the world in “symbols.”
In that regard, modernism in its pessimistic form, seen in Nietzsche’s work or its positive view, it basically presents its idea of innovation, as a modern, by rejecting the previous foundations. And whether it is a work of art, or a poem, or a philosophy regarding religion, the main principle of modernism remains approximately the same. Additionally, it should be noted that modernism can be seen as logically occurring in correspondence to a certain time and conditions, where the circumstance of the end of the nineteenth century can be seen as unique in terms of the diversity of the events that occurred almost in one epoch.
Works Cited
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. 5th ed. 6 vols. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2006.