20th-Non-Poetry+Movements

20th Century Non-Poetry Works of British Literature
Bryan Warwick

In the 20th Century, the majority of works mainly revolved around war themes, history, and the changing social and political values of the times.

For a list of the 100 best novels, click [|here]. Be careful, not all of them are by British authors. For more specific British works, click [|here].
 * Important works include:**
 * //1984// -- George Orwell[[image:http://www.planetvideo.com.au/blog/2008/11/06/volcano.jpg width="145" height="210" align="right"]]
 * //Animal Farm// -- George Orwell
 * //Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead// -- Tom Stoppard
 * //Equus// -- Peter Shaffer
 * //A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man// -- James Joyce
 * //Ulysses// -- James Joyce
 * //Under the Volcano// -- Malcolm Lowry
 * //To the Lighthouse// -- Virginia Woolf
 * //Mrs. Dalloway// -- Virginia Woolf


 * Most Influential Authors:**



Adeline Virginia Stephen, more commonly known as **Virginia Woolf** (1882-1941), was one of the most well known authors of the early 20th Century. She was a prominent figure in the realm of women's rights and liberties.Throughout her various novels and essays, she experimented with the idea of the "stream-of-consciousness," as well as several aspects of psychology and the human mind. In the late 1920's and -30's, she was accused of being caught up in anti-semetic beliefs of that era, due to the conditions surrounding Europe. It was later proven that she was not, she and her husband were simply avoiding Hitler's "blacklist." She has been hailed as not only one of the greatest authors of the 20th Century, but also as one of the foremost modernists.




 * George Orwell** (1903-1950), born Eric Arthur Blair, was another popular author and essayist of the 20th Century. His works brought to light social injustice in the world, as well as displayed his immense hatred for totalitarianist governments.His best works include the dystopian //1984//, and the satire of communism and totalitarianism, //Animal Farm//. Not only are Orwell's works some of the most popular of the 20th Century, but they can also be considered to most influential, both the popular culture and of politics.


 * [[image:http://img.listal.com/image/26245/600full-e.m.-forster.jpg width="175" height="227" align="left"]]

E.M. Forster** (1879-1970) is another prominent author of the 20th Century. As a world traveler, he drew his influences for his various works from the places he lived, such as Italy and Greece. He also served with the International Red Cross in Egypt. Forster's works usually come across as conservative in form and style, but the content was quite controversial. One of his main topics was the exploration of emotional and sexual deficiencies of citizens of Great Britain, specifically of the middle class. He also explored the relationship between Great Britain and its colonies in the beginning to middle of the 20th Century. This topic is seen in his novel //A Passage to India//. Later in his life, he turned more towards nonfiction, which was more harshly criticized, due to the fact that he was a homosexual. Forster's various novels and essays not only delved into the human psyche, but explored the formation of human relationships.


 * Unifying Principles Within Literature:**

War -- The 20th Century was filled with countless wars and armed conflicts. These conflicts, such as WWI, WWII, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War all affected literature of the 20th Century. Images of death and sadness were all prevalent in literature.

Changing Ideals -- Social values changed drastically during the 20th Century. Women were not only given suffrage, but they were also allowed to be essentially equal with men. In addition to women, minorities were also given certain liberties that they had been denied previously. One of the most prevalent authors of changing social ideas is Virginia Woolf, who discussed the changing aspect of women during that era.

Colonialism -- During this time, many countries, especially Britain, were granting freedom to countries that had previously been under the Crown. Many authors lived in these countries in their childhood and on into adulthood, which greatly affected all literature produced during this century. Such countries include: India, Nigeria, Liberia, and South Africa.


 * Quotes**

A dirty joke is a sort of mental rebellion. --George Orwell

For most of history, Anonymous was a woman. --Virginia Woolf

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. --C. S. Lewis

I think there's a tremendous split between people who've been through a war and people who haven't. --Antonia Fraser

I'm very interested in good and evil and the moral natures of people. --Antonia Fraser

BrainyMedia,. "George Orwell Quotes." //Brainy Media// 2009: n. pag. Web. 18 Nov 2009. []. "Foster, E.M.." //The// //Columbia// //Electronic Encyclopedia//. 6th ed. 2007. Web. []. Magistro, Nicole E. "20th Century British Literature." //BookSpot// 1997: n. pag. Web. 18 Nov 2009. []. Merriman, C.D. "George Orwell." //Literature Network// 2006: n. pag. Web. 18 Nov 2009. []. Merriman, C.D. "Virginia Woolf." //Literature Network// 2007: n. pag. Web. 18 Nov 2009. [].
 * Sources:**