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Literary modernism

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Literary modernism, or modernist literature, originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mainly in Europe and North America, and is characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional ways of writing, in both poetry and prose fiction writing. Modernism experimented with literary form and expression, as exemplified by Ezra Pound's maxim to "Make it new." This literary movement was driven by a conscious desire to overturn traditional modes of representation and express the new sensibilities of their time. The horrors of the First World War saw the prevailing assumptions about society reassessed, and much modernist writing engages with the technological advances and societal changes of modernity moving into the 20th century.

Literary modernism - Wikipedia Jump to content From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Western literary movement, originating in the late 19th century This article may contain original research . Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations . Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ( May 2026 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Modernism Stylistic origins 19th-century Europe Cultural origins Industrial Revolution Subgenres Absurdism Acmeism Dada Expressionism Futurism ( Cubo-Futurism , Ego-Futurism ) Imaginism Imagism Literary

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