Literature
The Bell Jar is one of my all-time favorite books. Not only do I wholeheartedly relate to Esther but Sylvia Plath's protrayal of depression is spot on in the novel. This novel is all over the place. Esther talks in a "stream of consciousness" manner and is very cynical about life and society (but depression tends to make you feel that way). When Esther thinks about not wanting to go back to therapy she says "The more hopeless you were, the further away they hid you" which encompasses the treatment of people with mental illnesses. In a society where mental illnesses aren't really taken seriously, many would try to ignore or not acknowledge the problem. Sylvia brought to life the horrors of depression and shined a light on how society tends to turn their back on it.
Modernism
The bell jar
Modernism is a genre that popped up after World War 1. Modernist pieces often are written in a "stream of consciousness" type of way, instead of the good old fashioned beginning, middle and end. The stories are often written in first person point of view to emphasize the loneliness of life. At times the writing is cynical and is pretty much there to point out society's flaws.
Star Wars is pretty cool.
Toni Morrison's Sula is a modernistic piece of fiction that has a modern view of a woman's independence. Through the storytelling of a friendship, Sula depicts a juxtaposition between the two best friends. Sula is audacious and doesn't really care about people's opinion about her. Nel on the other hand, is the complete opposite. As Nel grows up, Sula helps her realize she needs to live her life differently. This is depicted in chapter 1937, when Nel goes back and remembers Chicken Little's funeral : "Sula was wrong. Hell ain't things lasting forever. Hell is change." After she finds Jude with Sula, she thinks differently about life and comes to the conclusion that she prefers a friendship rather than having a picture perfect marriage.
sula
