Think about the modern texts you read for this unit. in your opinion, what makes literature “good” or “bad”? how comfortable are you in determining the quality of literature? do you find it easy to critique a text? if not, what do find difficult? how does your comfort level change depending on the genre and the era in which the text was written?

Writers reacted to this question by turning toward Modernist sentiments. Gone was the Romantic period that focused on nature and being. Modernist fiction spoke of the inner self and consciousness. Instead of progress, the Modernist writer saw a decline of civilization. Instead of new technology, the Modernist writer saw cold machinery and increased capitalism, which alienated the individual and led to loneliness. (Sounds like the same arguments you hear about the Internet age, doesn't it?)

To achieve the emotions described above, most Modernist fiction was cast in first person. Whereas earlier, most literature had a clear beginning, middle, and end (or introduction, conflict, and resolution), the Modernist story was often more of a stream of consciousness. Irony, satire, and comparisons were often employed to point out society's ills. For the first-time Modernist reader, this can all add up to feel like the story is going nowhere.

mi hermana "sabe" bailar salsa. "conoces" tu el monumento la mitad del mundo? raul y yo sabemos al profesor de matematicas.

translated: my sister "knows" how to dance salsa. "do you know" the monument half of the world? raul and i "know" the math professor.

explanation:

the silver bells of the sleds are merry and keep time in the winter nights while the sky twinkles happily. the golden bells of weddings are delightful in their peaceful happiness, foretelling a rapturous future. meanwhile, the brazen alarm bells scream frightfully in the night, with a discordant and desperate sound. in their clamor, these bells convey terror, horror, and anger. finally, the iron bells are solemn and melancholy, while those in the church steeple are like ghouls who feel happiness. the king of the ghouls, who rings the bells, cheerfully keeps time with the moaning and groaning bells.