Modern english literature

A great deal of contemporary English fiction and drama is dedicated to the subject of man’s search for identity, and the stress is not so much on political or social issues as on moral problems. The problem of identity is closely linked with one of the most influential philosophical trends of the 20th century - existentialism. According to it man must live and make his choice, must come to terms with his own existence and the true meaning of everything around him. The influence of existentialist ideas left a profound impression on the work of Iris Murdoch.

• A great deal of contemporary English fiction and drama is dedicated to the subject of man’s search for identity, and the stress is not so much on political or social issues as on moral problems. The problem of identity is closely linked with one of the most influential philosophical trends of the 20th century - existentialism. According to it man must live and make his choice, must come to terms with his own existence and the true meaning of everything around him. The influence of existentialist ideas left a profound impression on the work of Iris Murdoch.
• This personalized view of reality has resulted in significant changes in the subject matter and style of modern poetry and fiction. It has led to the creation of works concerned foremost with the exploration of the moods, thoughts, and feelings of individuals - their inner life. One important con-sequence of it has been a departure from formally plotted narratives to stories that are virtually plotless. For example, stories such as Joyce’s “Araby” and “Eveline” and Woolf’s “The New Dress” contain little action, but build up epiphanies, or moments of intense personal revelation.

English Literature Today.

English Literature Today.

• During the 1970s and early 1980s, such writers as Greene, Lessing and Le Carre continued to produce important novels. New writers also appeared. Writers of earlier times shared with their readers a common value system and sense of what was significant in human life. This helped them to determine their choice of subjects, themes and methods of expression. In contrast, the modern age has witnessed the disintegration of public background of belief, and it is their own personal visions of life and reality that modern writers express. This personalized view of reality has resulted in significant changes in the subject matter and style of modern poetry and fiction. It has led to the creation of works concerned foremost with the exploration of the moods, thoughts, and feelings of individuals - their inner life. Modern writers are creating their works in different genres and various themes. John Fowler combined adventure and mystery in such novels as “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” (1969), Margaret Drabble described the complex lives of educated middle-class people in London in “The Garrick Years”(1964), “The Middle Ground”(1980) and other novels. Iris Murdoch’s novels are psychological studies of upper middle-class intellectuals.