Modernism - EN 4398 - Modernism - Blume Library at St. Mary's University

What is Modernism?

From a course syllabus: "Modernism is described in a chronology in The Cambridge Companion to Modernism as an epoch beginning in 1890 and ending with the beginning of WWII. This may describe the boundaries of an epoch, but it does not necessarily describe the boundaries of Modernism. The chronology does include dates of publication for works generally considered as benchmarks of literary Modernism, most notably those of Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot and James Joyce. Most of the works by these and other Modernists share some characteristics of style particularly in the use of language as fluid rather than static, opening possibilities of meaning rather than proscribing them. However, this course considers Modernism in a broader sense as a cultural, social and political force as well as an artistic style."

This guide lists only a few of the reference tools that contain or refer to literary modernism. Ask a Reference Librarian for assistance in choosing or using additional literary resources.

Search the Oxford English Dictionary

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The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world.

As a historical dictionary, the OED is very different from dictionaries of current English, in which the focus is on present-day meanings. You’ll still find present-day meanings in the OED, but you’ll also find the history of individual words, and of the language—traced through 3 million quotations, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books.

The OED started life more than 150 years ago. Today, the dictionary is in the process of its first major revision. Updates revise and extend the OED at regular intervals, each time subtly adjusting our image of the English language.

Research Competency Guidelines for English Literature

Research Competency Guidelines for Literatures in English
Developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Literatures in English Section

Department

Department of English Literature and Language

EN 4398 Modernism course description

EN 4398 - Modernism: This course tracks Modernism as a concept from its beginnings as a major aesthetic and philosophical revolt to its evolution as it is reflected in a variety of literary works.