Modernisms

This course takes up the concept of modernism as a historical development in the arts, which comprises various artistic practices, and as a critical concept, which has various definitions, one of which is Fredric Jameson’s description of modernism as “realism’s historical counterpart and its dialectical mirror-image.” This course will explore modernism’s experimental writing practices and key theoretical issues and will engage with major critical debates and questions surrounding modernism such as the realism/modernism controversy, the problem of historicity, the issue of formalism and mediation as well as the topics of feminism and sexual experiment, commodity culture, urbanism, and everyday life.