Literary evolution Differentiating Romanticism and...

The idea of what literatures function is in shaping society saw a huge change throughout the years, each one of these periods can easily be separated by what literature was used for in each specific era and the ideas that are represented in the literature of these years. The two periods I would like to analyze are romanticism and modernism, namely for the dramatic change in both the form and the use of literature, along with its value to society. Between the romantic and modernist era of literature, writing went from a complex expression of ideals and evocation of emotion to a much less explicit and much more of a social commentary meant to convey unique and new ideas and bring a much different form of realization to the reader. A†¦show more content†¦While some may argue that this may just be a coincidence purely due to the style in which these two authors write, looking back on Wordsworth’s writing after observing that of Eliot provides a sharper contrast of vie ws and ideas of how literature specifically works. In Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, Wordsworth uses the sublime power of nature to converse with the reader about the emotion one can experience when humbling themselves and observing the forces of nature. First Wordsworth shows his romantic perspective when he states â€Å"Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs / That on a wild secluded scene impress / Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect / The landscape with the quiet of the sky (Tintern Abby, 5-8). Again this is Wordsworth’s famed ability to bring out the sublime feelings brought about through the simple observation of nature. This is more than typical of a romantic writer, yet if you observed the emotional distance that is apparent in Eliot’s writing it would not be incorrect to assume the modernist writer would have little interest in nature or the sublime and the emotions which Wordsworth claims it elicits. Rather Eliot would ar gue the decay of modern society has made him numb to such a simple romantic ideal. I argue this because of the sharp contrast that the passages taken from Eliot’s Love Song provide when compared beside Wordsworth. Eliot writes â€Å"For