Modernism in 'The Day of the Locust' (1939) by Nathanael West

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book Modernism in 'The Day of the Locust' (1939) by Nathanael West by Linda Schug, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Linda Schug ISBN: 9783638444514
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: December 2, 2005
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Linda Schug
ISBN: 9783638444514
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: December 2, 2005
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Frankfurt (Main), course: Decadence and Moderism in the Late 20th Century American Cinema, 22 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Jonathan Veitch asserts in the preface of his book American Superrealism that critics have had problems in placing Nathanael West within the literature of the 1930s and American literature in general. They understood him for example as 'a poet of darkness', as 'an apocalyptic writer', as 'a homegrown surrealist', as 'a writer of the left' , as a 'universal satirist' , in a way as 'the prototype of the contemporary Jewish-American novelist' (Wisker 1-2) or as a realistic writer (Martin, see Roberts). Although some of these characterizations are contradictory, they all fit because they reflect different facets of the author, or rather his work. West combined all these elements and probably even several others in his writings. His 'style was never constant. At times his pictorial technique closely resembles collage [but also] cartoon strips, movies, and several different schools of painting, as well as such non-graphic visual arts as the tableau and the dance.' (Reid 9) Taking the (though not planned) final result of his development as a writer, his last book The Day of the Locust (1939) as an example, I want to show in my essay that at least one of West's books does not 'fall between the different schools of writing' (Wisker 2), as he once noted. He is certainly a representative of modernism, the 'literary movement' and 'point of view' of his time (see O'Conner) not only because a 'struggle for definition is part of what those years are about' (Wisker 121). Nathanael West was influenced by the same historical events and used many of the strategies other contemporary writers employed to express his way of seeing the world. I will point out the features of modernism in the novel because, as Randall Reid states, '[i]n a century which has made experimental writing almost an absolute value, he is one of the more interesting innovators. [...]' First of all, it will be useful to look at the historical background to understand modernism before defining it with emphasis on decadence as a special characteristic. In the next part of my essay, I am going to show how modernism, that is surrealism, Dada and the typical modernist themes, is reflected in the novel. Finally, I will summarize the resulting main points in the conclusion.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Frankfurt (Main), course: Decadence and Moderism in the Late 20th Century American Cinema, 22 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Jonathan Veitch asserts in the preface of his book American Superrealism that critics have had problems in placing Nathanael West within the literature of the 1930s and American literature in general. They understood him for example as 'a poet of darkness', as 'an apocalyptic writer', as 'a homegrown surrealist', as 'a writer of the left' , as a 'universal satirist' , in a way as 'the prototype of the contemporary Jewish-American novelist' (Wisker 1-2) or as a realistic writer (Martin, see Roberts). Although some of these characterizations are contradictory, they all fit because they reflect different facets of the author, or rather his work. West combined all these elements and probably even several others in his writings. His 'style was never constant. At times his pictorial technique closely resembles collage [but also] cartoon strips, movies, and several different schools of painting, as well as such non-graphic visual arts as the tableau and the dance.' (Reid 9) Taking the (though not planned) final result of his development as a writer, his last book The Day of the Locust (1939) as an example, I want to show in my essay that at least one of West's books does not 'fall between the different schools of writing' (Wisker 2), as he once noted. He is certainly a representative of modernism, the 'literary movement' and 'point of view' of his time (see O'Conner) not only because a 'struggle for definition is part of what those years are about' (Wisker 121). Nathanael West was influenced by the same historical events and used many of the strategies other contemporary writers employed to express his way of seeing the world. I will point out the features of modernism in the novel because, as Randall Reid states, '[i]n a century which has made experimental writing almost an absolute value, he is one of the more interesting innovators. [...]' First of all, it will be useful to look at the historical background to understand modernism before defining it with emphasis on decadence as a special characteristic. In the next part of my essay, I am going to show how modernism, that is surrealism, Dada and the typical modernist themes, is reflected in the novel. Finally, I will summarize the resulting main points in the conclusion.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book L'aquaculture marine et sa relation avec l'environnement et l'économie by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Internship: Teaching English as a Foreign Language by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Dress Codes and Gender Roles in 'Little Red Riding Hood' by Linda Schug
Cover of the book How can basic differences in interest and objectives be solved? Potential problems between owners and managers by Linda Schug
Cover of the book The 1920´s hyperinflation in the light of the Rational Expectations Hypothesis by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Detective Mystery in the School Story - The Example of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Women in Saudi Arabia based on 'Desert Royal' by Jean Sasson by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Using Data Mining for Facilitating User Contributions in the Social Semantic Web by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Bilingualism and Multiculturalism in Canada by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Depoliticisation as an orthodox account of British economic policy since 1997 by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Analysis and improvement of the setup time reduction effect, the order strategies and the operating curves of manufacturing operations by Linda Schug
Cover of the book The best Bond movie ever Or: Why 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' is far better than its reputation by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Effects of Government policies towards the Highland peoples in Thailand by Linda Schug
Cover of the book Market Entry Strategies by Linda Schug
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy