Introduction

Submitted by Matt Picht on Wed, 01/16/2013 - 16:09

Hello, my name is Matt Picht, and I'm a senior English major. I chose English as my major because of my affinity for reading and writing, and because I enjoy exploring the cultural impact and significance of literature. With this course in particular, I'm interested in studying the emergence of Modernism, and how the World War I influenced the shift away from Victorian ideals and aesthetics to the darker, more realistic Modernist perspective. Most of my education on European literature has either been pre-1900's or immediately contemporary, so I'm excited to tackle this new subject from both a historical and an artistic perspective. I'm looking forward to a great semester with everyone! 

Comments

Jeff Drouin

Thu, 01/17/2013 - 09:48

Welcome to the course, Matt. Much of Victorian literature can be grimly realistic, the major exception being its poetry (though Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach" stands out there). Realism as a prose style reached a point of high development during the Victorian period. But early Twentieth Century modernists decided Realism wasn't realistic enough, and began exploring radical technqiues for representing the nature of consciousness and social experience. Anyway, this course should help to fill the gap between pre-1900 and contemporary literature.

Lauren Mitchell

Mon, 01/21/2013 - 12:47

Sounds like you were sick of aestheticism after your senior project, Matt!

Matt Picht

Mon, 01/21/2013 - 17:06

Let's just say I'm "exploring alternatives" to Vic. Lit. at this point. Suprisingly, it is possible to read too much Wilde in one semester.