Humanities Study Guide

Humanities Study Guide

dense allusion and symbolic associations. Franz Kafka put characters in absurd and terrifying circumstances, but kept his descriptions casual. In New York City, during the Harlem Renaissance, black writers started to write more on their own experiences. Zora Neale Hurston was a poet from Harlem, New York, who described the hardships and frustrations of black Americans, most famously known for her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God . Other authors were becoming interested in postmodernism. John Barth is a postmodern author who created stories about stories, and fiction about other fiction. These kinds of works typically exhibited a self-consciousness of language and had convoluted plots. Music Music of previous centuries used a consistent meter and key, but in the 20th century, numerous meters were employed. Musicians were creating a new technique called polyrhythm, which, by definition, is using multiple time signatures simultaneously. Polytonality was another new style that used two or more musical keys, either alternating quickly or played at the same time. Louis Armstrong was the first great jazz soloist. Jazz music stepped into the limelight, mixing improvisation into the mix to create new rhythms and melodies out of well-known tunes. There was also the creation of a new time meter known as swing , and after World War II, bebop emerged as a faster, bouncier jazz. As the century progressed, total serialism developed, in which every aspect of a composition was calculated, including the pitch, duration, dynamics, et cetera. The trend toward total control intensified with the rise of electronic music using synthesizers and computers. Pop music entered a new era with the rise of Rock and Roll, with its electric guitars and strong rhythmic drive. A lot of Rock and Roll music took traditional jazz pieces and altered them for white audiences. Dance In the United States, modernism thrived. It invented an expressive and spontaneous dance form based on the rejection of ballet, aptly known as modern dance. Professional dancers also created a more freeing and musically expressive form of modern ballet. Isadora Duncan is typically credited as the inventor of modern dance. She challenged the regimented world of classical ballet with her free, interpretive movements. Duncan was famous for her new dances in a flowy white dress, dancing barefoot, contrasting with the strict clothing and shoes worn for ballet. Theater During this era, cinema was established and moved from its working-class beginnings to the most popular form of art to this day. The first film was titled Roundhay Garden Scene and featured horses and jockeys. Silent films from directors like Louis Le Prince established the fundamental techniques of cinematography. Pioneering Soviet filmmakers developed an editing technique known as

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