Modernism, Minimalism, & SurrealismMovements in Literature and Art

Modernism in Literature•Post WWI, pre WWII•Nontraditional syntax and forms•Accessible to everyone, not just

academics•Pessimistic picture of a culture in chaos•Question moral and philosophical

meanings•Recognition of failure of language to fully

communicate meaning•References to self and personal thought

Modernism in Art

Minimalism in Literature• Expresses the essence of a subject• Eliminates all non-essential forms/concepts/ features• Economy with words/ focus on surface description• Allow context to dictate meaning• Readers take role in interpretation of story through

hints• “Iceberg Principle”

▫ Unabridged - I yearned for a break, so I stood up and walked over to the coffee machine. Grabbing a cup of coffee, I walked back to my desk, to find out that someone had turned on the fan above my desk.

▫ Minimalist - I took a coffee break. Walking back to my desk, I heard the fan.

Minimalism in Art

Surrealism in Literature•Extreme form of modernism•Post WWI—rejection of rationalism•Unrestricted expression of subconscious•Depicts what should not, or could not,

actually exist•Surprising, unexpected imagery

Surrealism in Art

Exquisite Corpse• To play this game, you have two choices. You can either

draw or write. • Once you decide on whether you would like to draw or

write, you should get in groups of 3-5 people.• Here’s how we do it:

1. One person starts the poem/drawing with a line, or the beginning of a drawing (at the top of the page).

2. The next person in the group then looks only at the first line/part of the drawing, and then adds to it. The person then covers up everything that came before what they added, and passes the sheet to the next person.

3. At the end of the game, you will have a real-life surrealist work, an “exquisite corpse.”