Features of Twentieth Century Literature.

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20th century is the age of modernism in literature.20th century’s literature follows differently from the 19th century literature, because of importance given to presentation of human consciousness and human psychology. As result new narrative techniques like impressionism and stream of consciousness has been introduced, the purpose of whom is to highlight human perception. Impressionism has been adopted by many writers, replacing realism.20th century is an age of emphasis on inner reality, therefore psychoanalysis and human psychology is an important part of literature. Experience is given structural support by, motifs, myths, and parallel themes. Isolation and, loss of hope in humanity are one of the salient themes of modern literature.

E.M. Forster, Joseph Conrad and James Joyce are three prominent writers of the twentieth century, who applied modern techniques and themes in their novels.

Human consciousness is an important aspect of 20th century novel. Human, thoughts, feelings and stimulations are much important constituent of the century s fiction. In fact “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” is like a little world of Stephen’s mind, which is a result of an evolutionary process. Ulysses can be called the story of thought life of Stephen and Morgan within one day.

Stream of consciousness is an emergent technique of 20th century novel, employed to explain human thoughts, feelings and stimulations. Stream of consciousness describes the flow of thoughts and feelings in the mind without a sequence, in other words in natural order.. Used for the first time by William James, Joyce gives new meanings to it by using in his novels, A Portrait, Ulysses and Finnegan’s Wake .Joyce makes use of stream of consciousness technique In Ulysses Mr Prince dines alone in a restaurant .Joyce takes us to his mind journey; an internal monologue “here is the soup, the smoking soup. Be careful that the waiter does not splash me…in’ A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” Stephen’s flow of thoughts is revealed when he meets a man besides the bridge.: it must be eleven he thought………..as he turned away he heard a clock somewhere near him…he laughed as he heard it as it made him think of Mac Cann”.

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Isolation is an evident theme of 20th century literature. Stephen in” A Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man ‘’is detached from his world. Stephen is an individual who wants to break free from the barriers of nationalism, religion and society. Stephen is standing apart from his fellows and peers,”but he apart from them and in silence, remembered in what dread he stood…”

Experience gets a structural support in modern literature, through parallel themes and use of myths. Ulysses is written parallel to odyssey. A portrait of the artist as a young man has the myth of Daedulus employed in ...

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