Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
What constitutes Modernism in literature?
Position4 of 4

Modernism in literature involves favoring relativism over absolute truth

The human experience is confused, wild, jumbled, and completely subjective. There is a belief that people cannot fully know themselves, so their understanding of the world is bound to be piecemeal and full of contradictions. So, Modernist literature asserts that everything is relative.

Supporting arguments · 2

  1. Modernism in literature involves absurdism
    Appearing towards the end of the Modernist movement, Absurdism is another manifestation of post-war disillusionment. Absurdists note the inherent desire to find value in a meaningless world and represent this in the structure of their work.
  2. Modernism in literature involves nihilism
    Now that truth, objectivity, and morality were beginning to be more rigorously questioned, a new ideology emerged. Helmed by Nietzsche, but gaining momentum after WW1, Nihilism can be seen oozing from the darkness of Modernist literature.