20th-Literature+Outside+of+Great+Britain+(if+5+members)

=**20th Century World Literature** = Shradda Venkat

The unifying principles of world literature during this time period stemmed from the war fought by the majority of the world and the political and social changes that were occurring. Many literature that are famous have been influenced by the World War and many changes that was happening in every society. Because of this, the literature developed in this time period has given rise to popular literature such as trivial literature and science fiction to incorporate the modernism of societal living. Literature in this time period also started exploring different themes that was not present in the past centuries. Thus the trends in the literature around the world both encompassed the war period and the post modernization.

//**All Quiet on the Western Front**// // All Quiet on the Western Front // by Erich Maria Remarque is a popular war literature that depicts the lives of young men who are fighting in the war and how their lives are shaped by the events that happen in the war. The novel also describes the extreme physical and mental stress that the German soldiers felt. This book has a unique perspective on the war because it from the German soldier's perspective of the atrocities and life at the battlefield during the war.

[|Erich Maria Remarque] on July 22, 1898 became an established writer after this book became a best-selling novel that was classified as antiwar and anti military fiction. He is best known for this book because of the descriptive details that he provided about the life in the trenches and now this book has been translated in other languages and sold over 30 million copies.

//**Great Gatsby**//

// Great Gatsby // by F.Scott Fitzgerald is a very popular 1920's American literature that deals with societal issues. Following World War I, America's economy soared and prosperity was evident though at the same time there was a widespread ban on alcohol. This novel explores prosperity and also the American Dream. The novel is filled with lavish scenes of youth and privileged partying and the glitter of the high society and the problems and downfalls one man receives. A similar novel to this one is //The Sun Also Rises// by Hemingway. The cover of the novel is very famous for depicting events of the time period in America very well.

//**Night**//

//Night// by [|Elie Wiesel]has moved people around the world with it vivid details of the life in the concentration camps that the Nazis built for the Jews during the Second World War. It is a first hand account of Wiesel's life when he spent it at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He has attained many critical acclaims for this account and has even received a Nobel Peace Prize for this novel. Today, Wiesel is a lecturer at University of New York on Judaic Studies. On a certain interview, he stated that the reason that he possibly wrote this book was may because of the anger he felt. It is now one the best selling novels and many school have intergrated this literature as a work that gives a full account of the atrocities of the World War II.

//**Things Fall Apart**//

Things Fall Apart explores the societal changes that occurs in a small African community when a group of missionaries arrive. This novel revolves around a man named Okonkwo who struggles internally and also with the society that is changing around him as the community is guided somewhere else. Okonkwo cannot embrace the new ideas that was brought. This book deals with the impacts of British colonialism and the societal changes that happens and the cultural deterioration that occurs. It emphasizes the stark contrast between the culture and tradition of the native African people and the missionaries to stress the societal change that was slowly occurring.


 * Works Cited**

"Elie Wiesel: First Person Singular . The Life and Work of Wiesel |." //PBS//. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. .

"Erich Maria Remarque Biography." //Encyclopedia of World Biography//. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. .

"Things Fall Apart Summary & Study Guide - Chinua Achebe - eNotes.com." //ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More.// Web. 19 Nov. 2009. .