The Birth and Development of Western Modernist Literature

The earliest school of modernist literature is symbolism, and its pioneer is Baudelaire of France (1821-1867). His masterpiece is Flowers of Evil, which is the cornerstone of symbolism. /kloc-in the 1980s of 0/9, in France, the banner of symbolism was officially played, and the team of symbolist writers gradually formed. Around the First World War, with the intensification of various contradictions in western capitalist society, various modernist literary schools appeared one after another, reaching a climax in the 1920s. The main schools are late symbolism, futurism, surrealism and stream-of-consciousness novels. During this period, a group of outstanding writers with world influence appeared. There are Kafka in Austria, Joyce in Ireland and Proust in France in the novel. There are American O 'Neill, Belgian maeterlinck and German Hopterman in drama. The United States has Pound, Britain has Eliot and Ye Zhi.

From 1930s to early 1940s, fascism, represented by Hitler, was rampant. Anti-fascist democratic writers promoted the prosperity of realistic literature. Modernist literature is at a low ebb.

After the Second World War, decadent ideas rose in western countries, the society was full of pessimism and gloomy atmosphere, existentialism philosophy flooded, and modernist literature entered a new stage of vigorous development. Modernist literature at this stage is called "postmodernism". There are French existentialist literature represented by Sartre and Camus, absurd drama represented by Eunice (France), Beckett (Ireland) and Albee (America), new novel school represented by Allen Rob-Gerye (France), American black humor school represented by Heller and Vonneger, and British "angry youth" represented by Osborne. It can be said that there are various names. In terms of ideology, most of these factions are related to existential philosophy. In artistic form, they compete to be unconventional; Each has its own characteristics.

Modernist literature is still an important school of western literature today, which has exerted a wide influence all over the world.