Twentieth Century Poetry & Important Facts

A Brief Introduction

In the history of English literature the twentieth century remains to be magnificent age of fiction. The social, political and psychological problems were made the subjects of literature.

The complexity and many sidedness of the twentieth century poetry cannot be described with full justice in short essay. Like any other century the twentieth century also has had many literary trends sometimes running parallel, at other times, crossing one another. Thus, symbolism and imagism go side by side, while traditionalism and experimentalism or non traditionalism, move in different directions.

Georgian Poetry: The Period from 1912 to 1922 was the period of Georgian Poetry. The English poetry of the time of King George, the Fifth was known as the Georgian Poetry. Among the prominent Georgian poets were: W.H. Davies, W.W. Gibson, Walter de la mare, G.K. Chesterton, Iohn Drinkwater and Harold Munro.

Important Facts to Remember

1.The Georgian poets wrote of nature and simple themes of life. Symbolism is very important characteristics of the modern poetry. Eliot, Yeats, Auden, Dylan, Thomas are all great symbolists.

2. Imagism is another very important characteristic of modern Poetry. Wordsworth had spiritualized nature, Shelly intellectualised it, Byron loved and painted stormy aspects. Coleridge saw the supernatual in nature.

3. Twentieth Century poetry is molded with the mark of realism by science.

4. Though modern age is an age of science but eve a number of poets who have kept alive the fame of religion and mysticism through their poetry.

5. Twentieth century poetry is multi-faceted, many-sided, complex and abundantly rich in its astonishing variety.