Modernism, particularly literary modernism, developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mainly in Europe and North America. This type of literature is often identified by its new understanding of the human and social experience. Modernist authors wanted to break away from traditional ways of writing. They believed that World War I had changed everything, and nothing in the world should ever be repeated.
This type of writing was also influenced by the great social development that was taking place during this time period, and by developments in science and technology, particularly that of psychoanalysis.