Masterpieces of British Modernism

Book excerpt: Flourishing during the first 2 decades of the 20th century, British Modernism gave birth to some of the world's most influential literary works. Written expressly for high school students and general readers, this book succinctly yet thoughtfully discusses 7 masterpieces of British Modernism. Included are chapters on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, E.M. Forster's Howards End, James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, D.H. Lawrence's Women in Love, T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and The Wasteland, and Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Each chapter provides biographical information; a plot summary; an analysis of themes, style, symbols, and characters; and a discussion of the work's historical and cultural contexts. An introductory essay surveys and defines Modernism, and a bibliography cites works for further reading.