The early decades of the 20th century were transformational for the Western World, encompassing World War I and its devastation, the collapse of four empires, a period of great disillusion and a rejection of philosophical and religious values that had preceded the war. There was a dramatic departure from traditional art forms and the emergence of Modernism in literature, poetry, dance, the visual arts and film. We will explore the historical, cultural and artistic changes which occurred and their impact on the remainder of the century and life in the West today.
Read:
Rites of Spring – The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age, Modris Eksteins
Movement and Modernism: Yeats, Eliot, Lawrence, Williams and Early 20th Century Dance, Terri Mester (optional)
This course is offered with the generous support of the Association for Continuing Education.