The Feminist Aesthetics of Virginia Woolf: Modernism, Post-Impressionism, and the Politics of the Visual Essay

ModernismIntroduction Modernism can entail three similar meanings. Firstly, moderneism can mean novelty or innovation, implying something that contrast the old and hence coif crosswise a certain conviction in progress. Secondly, various open meaning refers to the modern episode understood, from philosophical perspective, as linked to rationality, critical thinking and the era since the 18th century, which started to highlight reason as an approach of aim examination of realism that is strongly linked with empiricism in philosophy. Thirdly, modernism is linked with definite tendency in arts starting in the deep 19th century that highlight psychology, subjective arrive and non-mimetic, irrational replica of macrocosm as revealed in the whole shebang of plant of most European and American authors, and the swear outs of avant-garde among other poetic tendencies. In contrast of postmodernism view of the solid ground, modernism especially of the early 20th century and after th e First universe War, struggled to present a literary work in regard to chaotic post World War I reality, but too as a whole, though fragmented, resulting to a transcendental sense. Modernism was also a rejoinder to conventional realistic representation techniques that assay to mimic reality modernist literary works put weight on skewed experience instead of a conviction in likelihood of a literary work to put across the objective connotation and reality (Caughie, 2007.pp 23). Modernism was excited by a new era of large scale production, new era of industrialism, especially in the USA and Great Britain, technological changes as well as socio-historical proceedings and atmosphere of the era. Changes in the socio-economic and industrial structure called for new perception of the world. Scientific interventions and industrial production bemuse stirred technological progress and the increased alienation in the rapidly developing urban surroundings. However, scientific changes and i ndustrial production have also led to skepticism linked with the abuse of technologies for genocide during the World War I. Although, modernism is usually fragmented and experimental, arts and literary works provided an artistic and artistic knowledge as a substitute to the depressive and chaotic reality (Caughie, 1991.pp 18). In contrast to realistic literary works which emphasize on mimetic rule of imitation of reality that is the literature that revealed the world as knowable, imitable and knowable via language, reason and experience, the modernist literature presented a incredulous representation on such a vision of reality and the cap cleverness of literature to provide a truthful, objective and objective portrait of reality. Modernist literature emphasized on mind, psychology, subjective experience and interior(a) living of slips instead of describing the class conflict, external, outer and social reality. Modernist literature was connected not only to universal skepticism of the post World War I era, but also with growing mistrust of philosophers, scientists, scholars and artists in the capacity of reason to grasp, comprehend and elucidate reality. According to aesthetic and philosophical perspective, modern literature highlights postmodernist ontological and epistemological aspects. Friedrich Nietzsche contributed a lot in literature where he theorized mans will to unreliability and power of language to represent the world. Ludwig Wittgenstein dealt with philosophy of language and the unexpected meaning it produces via the language games, and Sigmund Freud understood human being as irrational rather rational being driven by familiar desires, unconscious forces and suppressed dreams. Martin Heidegger is another significant philosopher who has influenced not only modernist, but also postmodernist thinking, especially in relation to the language and the representation of reality through it. Heidegger acknowledged language as a defective medium of ref erring to realism and highlighted its authority to generate unforeseen and unrestrained meanings. Anton Pokrivcak gives a summary of the edition between postmodernism and modernism as follows The shift from modernism to postmodernism is understood as the shift within ontology from determinacy to indeterminacy of being, from transcendence to immanence, from symbol to allegory, from the world of ideology to the world of play (Pokrivcak 199839), and this shift, in his view, can be also characterized as the substitution of a semantic way of making sense for a semiotic genius. In their literature, modernist fiction writers of 20th century such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf maintained the ideas and subjectivized human experience and highlighted on inner subjective experience as mostly expressed by maiden person narrator and stream-of-consciousness narrative method, a term overtaken from psychological theories of William James. Modernist writers thus subjectivized knowledge and, in their literary works, brought forth the suggestion that the globe cannot be impartially known only instinctively perceived by human brain. Subjectivity manifested typically itself-importance, as it was highlighted above, in the first person narrative and the use of the stream-of-consciousness narrative technique bringing forth the subjective view of reality by human brain. In modernist fictional works, baffled reality revealed itself in authors utilization of fragmentary composition, non-chronological and in a portrayal of the relations between the characters. The use of non-linear, non-chronological time and fragmentary composition portrayed a latest responsiveness of the chaotic world and the estrangement as a result of new era and life in the cities. Alienation reveals itself in the characters connection to work, society, the city and other characters that can at last lead to the emotions of nihilism. Moreover, alienation is intimately associated to uncertainty which reveals itself in the characters attitudes to the people. Modernist literature is regularly parodic and ironic. Parody and Irony ar used as a type critique both of rational or idealistic literary convention and of the world. Modernist writers habitually utilize ancient mythology that ar altered and recontextualized in a recent context and therefore they become recent myths associated to modernist cultural knowledge. Virginia Woolf, an English modernist writer, provides that In or about December, 1910, human character changed. The two statements meant a conviction that the community and its responsiveness had altered in 20th century and, simultaneously, a conviction in the likelihood of fresh types of arts, which would reflect a new scientific progress, awareness but also cynicism and turmoil of the recent age. Modernist literature incorporated the procedures of innovative technologies, social media among other types of art to put across this responsiveness of an innovative period. Vigini a Woolf contribured immensely to postmodernism through her literal work Literature in quest and quest of itself. Woolf raised various questions since her literal works emphasized on social contexts and narrative strategies. Viginia Woolf was regarded as an exemplar of a high modernist aesthetics in early 1970s. However, Woolfs literal works poke out to receive major criticism who considers her as an exemplar of a feminist writing practice. Virginia Woolf literal works not only emphasized on feminist politics and modernist aesthetics, but it also took keen interest in the status and nature of the fiction itself. Virginia Woolf is famous for great achievement in regard to the modern novel and her exceptional style of writing in highlighting major issues especially in feminist writing. In the novels, To The Lighthouse and Mrs Dolloway, Woolf evaluate the relations, both fundamental and superficial and how they are applied to the greater epistemological questions of being and life. W oolf put a balance to the significance of individual self and the communication of individual self with fellow human beings through representation of a set of often ambiguously interrelated characters. Woolf has skillfully succeeded to provide the attracter with subversive keys to her view of life and its meaning. Woolf vision of life and its meaning balances the crucial character of individual and relational exploration and dependence (Goldman, 1998.pp 92). Woolf was interested in revealing the connection between future, olden and life. Woolf literal works was aimed at explaining how humanitys eventual purpose prevails in an ambiguous balance between ourselves and others in the sphere of social and rational achievement. Postmodern literal work is a fraction of historical and socio-cultural development and can be seen as a detailed manner of a portrayal of the postmodern life and culture. It shows a crisis of identity of human being and its struggle for legitimization in a hypocr itical society (Rosenberg, 2000.pp 59). Virginia Woolf literal works help the leader to understand the connection between modernism and epistemological quest for meaning. According to aesthetic and philosophical perspective modernist literature emphasize on postmodernist ontological and epistemological aspects. In conclusion, modernism can imply three similar meanings. First, modernism can mean novelty or innovation. Modernism can also imply modern period based on the association between reality and empiricism of philosophy. Last, modernism can be associated with arts. Modernism is different from postmodernism because it attempted to bring out literary work based on reality though in a fragmented approach, thus creating transcendental meaning. Modernism was stimulated by new large scale production and industrialism in USA and Great Britain. Though fragmented, literary arts and works provided an aesthetic and artistic experience as an option to the depressive and chaotic reality. Mod ernist works such as that of Virginia Woolf revealed a skeptical view on such a vision of reality and the ability of a literary work to offer a truthful, objective representation of reality. Modernist literature emphasized on subjective, inner life, mind and psychology of characters instead of charge on class conflict and social reality. Virginia Woolf was famous for her great contribution in modernist literature, though she faces a lot of criticism from various authors who believe her work was only from feminism politics and theory of postmodernism.ReferencesCaughie, PamelaL. Postmodern and Poststructuralist Approaches to Virginia Woolf.(2007) Print.Caughie, PamelaL. Virginia Woolf & Postmodernism Literature in Quest & Question of Itself.(1991) Print.Colonial Anxiety and Primitivism in Modernist Fiction Woolf, Freud, Forster, Stein. N.p.,n.d.. Print.Da, sylva N. T. Modernism and Virginia Woolf. Windsor Windsor Publications,1990. Print.Goldman, Jane. The Feminist Aesthetics of Vir ginia Woolf Modernism, Post-Impressionism, and the Politics of the Visual. Cambridge Cambridge UP,1998. Print.Goldman, Jane. The Feminist Aesthetics of Virginia Woolf Modernism, Post-Impressionism, and the Politics of the Visual. Cambridge Cambridge UP,1998. Print.modernism-postmodernism. modernism. N.p., n.d. Web. 3Dec.2014. .Rosenberg, BethC. Virginia Woolfs Postmodern Literary History. Mln 3(2000) 25. Print.Source document