French Literature Reviews - 2026
W. Bohn, The Early Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art
Art and Visual Culture
Bibliographic reference: Willard Bohn, The Early Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art, Routledge, collection "Routledge Studies in Twentieth-Century Literature", 2018. EAN13: 9781138598928.
This book focuses on avant-garde literature and art in Europe and America during the first quarter of the twentieth century. It examines five movements that shaped our response to the demands of the modern age and contributed to the creation of a modern sensibility: Cubism, Futurism, the Metaphysical School, Dada, and Surrealism. Each of these arose in response to recent scientific, technological, and/or philosophical developments that drastically affected modern civilization. In turn, each was responsible for a major paradigm shift that altered the way in which we view—and respond to—the world around us. The final chapter is comparative in nature and studies the role of the mannequin in literature and art during the same period.
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This book explores avant-garde literature and art in Europe and the Americas from 1900 to 1925. It examines five movements that shaped our response to the twentieth century by contributing to the creation of a modern sensibility: Cubism, Futurism, the Metaphysical School, Dada, and Surrealism. Each movement responds to scientific, technological, and philosophical developments that exerted a profound influence on modern civilization. Each produced a paradigm shift in our way of conceiving, perceiving, and representing the contemporary world. Adopting a comparative perspective, the final chapter analyzes the role of the mannequin.
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During the early decades of the twentieth century, experimental art and literature developed rapidly across Europe and the Americas in response to profound industrial, scientific, and philosophical transformations. Movements such as Cubism, Futurism, the Metaphysical School, Dada, and Surrealism emerged as cultural reactions to a changing civilization, each challenging traditional modes of representation and perception. Willard Bohn's The Early Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art focuses on avant-garde literature and art in Europe and America during the first quarter of the twentieth century, examining five movements that shaped our response to the demands of the modern age.
Readers interested in the history of modern aesthetics and early twentieth-century artistic movements may find this volume relevant to their pursuits. The study examines Cubism, Futurism, the Metaphysical School, Dada, and Surrealism, each of which arose in response to recent scientific, technological, and/or philosophical developments that drastically affected modern civilization and contributed to the creation of a modern sensibility.