1914-1950
The Modernism Period of Literature took place during World Wars I and II, circa 1914-1950. Literature of the time was a direct response to Realism. As a result of increasing modernity, authors became more experimental and innovative in their themes.
There was a sense of disillusionment due to the number of lives lost to war, “the lost generation”, and a general attitude of distrust.
With the expansion of technology, such as travel and communication access, literature became subjective and turned inward. It was no longer a “window” to the world. It became opaque and aesthetic, using fragmentation to leave gaps for the reader to fill in for themselves.
An often explored theme in literature is the Homosocial Triangle. A contemporary concept developed by Eve Sedgwick, it proposes that “there is a special relationship between male homosocial desire and the structures for maintaining and transmitting patriarchal power…”2
The Ice Palace, by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published in 1920, is an example of work written during the Modernism period of literature. It clearly illustrates the idea of a Homosocial Triangle.
The female protagonist, Sally Carrol, has the option of two men with which she could choose to build a life.
Clark is a man from the Southern town of Tarleton, Georgia. This is the same town from which Sally Carrol comes. She does not accept his advances in the opening scenes of this story. Sally Carroll knows that Southern men are not concerned with wealth and live a slow life making them unsuitable as a husband. She also knows that her only hope for success in society is to be married to a wealthy man as a woman’s position is completely determined by their choice of husband.
Harry is a Northern man, from Minnesota, who is wealthy and successful. Sally Carroll has accepted his proposal as the better option to marry. Harry and Sally Carroll have very different ideas of behavior becoming a woman. While she is in Minnesota with Harry, she acts on her desires of things he considers “childish” or nonsensical and nearly freezes to death.
After a “gap” in the story, we find Sally Carrol has returned to Georgia and is in contact with Clark once again.
Individuals, perhaps, generally think of a “love triangle” as a situation in which a woman must choose between two men. The concept of the “Homosocial Triangle” shows that the woman is the least factor in the struggle. The struggle is actually between the two men as a conquest of power.
1Bourdon, Rosario, et al. I’m a lonesome little raindrop Looking for a place to fall. 1920. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-38796/.
2 Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire. Thirtieth Edition, Columbia University Press, 2016, p 25.
Changing Societal Views of Femininity as Shown in Literature 