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What is one example of literary critiques of 'Modernity' in 'Rhapsody on a Windy Night' (1920)?

User DauleDK
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Final answer:

Literary critiques of Modernity in 'Rhapsody on a Windy Night' include the poem's representation of alienation and fragmentation of the self, indicative of the disillusionment in the postwar era and reflective of wider Modernist concerns.

Step-by-step explanation:

One example of literary critiques of 'Modernity' in 'Rhapsody on a Windy Night' (1920) by T.S. Eliot is the poem's dissection of the fragmented self and the depersonalization that results from modern urban life. The poem conveys a sense of alienation and disconnection felt in the postwar era, which is a critique of the modern world's failure to provide meaning and cohesiveness to individual experience. The protagonist's night walk through the desolate streets serves as a metaphoric journey through a wasteland of broken memories and impersonal encounters, echoing the disillusionment and fragmentation that was part of the Modernist movement's response to contemporary societal changes. This mirrors F. Scott Fitzgerald's more personal reflection on the 1920s in 'The Crack-Up', where he conveys a sense of disillusionment and the hollow resolution of personal and societal issues, and is reminiscent of the broader Modernist literary movement, which includes authors such as Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce, whose works often depicted characters grappling with the challenges posed by a rapidly changing, often disorienting modern world.

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