From Library Journal
The approach of the millennium has inspired the publication of a number of books reflecting on the significance of Modernism. Oxford English professor and critic Conrad here examines Modernism's meaning and scope. While he offers insightful comments on the canonical works of modernist art, music, literature, architecture, and culture, he extends this discussion to the end of the century, looking at other works, genres, and media as well. For Conrad, Modernism is defined by its apocalyptic experiments, its overturning of previous assumptions, and its challenging of taboos. In turn, Conrad sees a continuity between Modernism and Postmodernism and an extension of modernist centers from Vienna, Moscow, and Paris to cities such as Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. His scope is monumental, his treatment perceptive and fluid. Modernism is more canonical in its focus, offering a rich selection of written material relevant to the study of Modernism from early anticipations in Marx in 1843 through Richard Wright in 1940. Rather than poems, plays, or other "primary" materials, the editors have compiled various modernist statements: letters, manifestos, and contemporary essays and reviews. An invaluable resource for the student of Modernism.AThomas L. Cooksey, Armstrong State Coll., Savannah, GA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Kurzbeschreibung
From Bauhaus to Dada, from Virginia Woolf to John Dos Passos, the modernist movement revolutionized the way one perceives, portrays and participates in the world. This anthology is a comprehensive documentary resource for the study of modernism, bringing together 150 essays, articles, manifestos and other writings of the political and aesthetic avant garde between 1840 and 1950. The editors cover a range of modernist thinking. Included are Gustave Flaubert, Ezra Pound and James Joyce, as well as a representation from the sciences, politics, philosophy and the arts, including Charles Darwin, W.E.B. Du Bois and Adolf Hitler. Also featured are manifestos from many modernist movements, among them futurism, cubism, Dada, surrealism and anarchism.