In my view, was modernism ever successful to begin with? It had some prominence in the early years of the 20th century, but seemed to dribble out around the 1930s. True the avantgarde since then have utilised it and its morphings into other avantgarde styles of poetry etc. But I think (as we all know here) that what we call mainstream poetry has been dominant since the 1940s. If it hasn’t been then why do the avantgarde keep complaining that they are the losers. So for me modernism has failed. As it had to if postmodernism needed a chance for the prize.
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