Fractured Narratives: The Birth of American Modernism, 1910-1930

Fractured Narratives: The Birth of American Modernism, 1910-1930 by Dean Wallace examines the emergence and development of American modernism in literature, art, and culture during the early 20th century. The book traces the seismic shifts in artistic expression that responded to the aftermath of World War I, the complexities of industrialization, the rise of consumer culture, and the transformation of social, racial, and political landscapes. Through the lens of iconic American figures such as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, Langston Hughes, and the Harlem Renaissance, the book explores the rejection of traditional narrative forms and the embracing of fragmented, subjective representations of reality. Wallace delves into how modernist writers and artists broke from realism and romanticism to create works that reflected the disillusionment, alienation, and the search for new forms of identity in an ever-changing world. Engaging with both the technical and ideological underpinnings of modernism, Fractured Narratives paints a vivid portrait of a transformative era that reshaped the trajectory of American art and culture.