Haunted Inkbottle: Problems of Artistic Communications in Modernism.

摘要

Be it in music, visual arts, or in literature, the modern world has seen a tremendous change in the relationship between the artist and his audience. Certainly the twentieth century has wrought considerable changes in the audience, but it is the artist who is the mystery of the modern phenomenon: that modern artists have been rendered incapable of communicating their art to a general audience. A study of the literature and literary figures of the modern period throughout their respective careers led to a goal of understanding the breakdown in artistic communication that is unique to the modern world. It was determined early in the course of study that a simple overview of the modern period was unacceptable due to its inherent subjectivity. Therefore three artists were specifically chosen for their contributions to the art of the period and their universal acceptance as the major figures in their respective genres. All three major genres of literature: poetry, prose, and drama were included, as well as three major English-speaking countries: England, Ireland, and the United States. T.S. Eliot, James Joyce and Tennessee Williams were the artists so chosen, and a complete reading of their most important works coupled with a detailed biographical study of each of the authors was undertaken. Peripheral readings in criticism and psychology led to the establishing of a model which characterizes the conclusions of the study. (AW)