"Modernism and the Modern Novel" as an Expository Text

"Modernism and the Modern Novel"—by Christopher Keep, Tim McLaughlin, Robin Parmar—in the vein of a true expository essay, opens with a formal definition of the term, Modernism, and then goes on to provide the historical context for the emergence of this artistic movement. The leading lights of Modern literature are also identified: Joyce, Eliot, Woolf, and so on.

The authors, in true expository style, then, segues to detail the literary innovations brought forth by the writers: non-linear narratives, ironic and ambiguous juxtapositions, and so on. The authors use long sentences, separated my commas, as appropriate, with great effect – giving an easy flow to the passage.

Later in the passage, the authors highlight the criticism that has been laid at the feet of Modernism – primarily, that it has sacrificed a social agenda while in hot pursuit of a “narcissistic interest in language and its processes.” Some people might describe this Modernist narcissistic obsession with language over content as the “watch-me-write” style. Eliot is cited here for averring that such obscurantism was necessary as a pushback against the commoditization of literature and its being reduced to the lowest common denominator. 

The authors note that this non-egalitarian style came at a cost – many Modernist personages openly flirted with fascism, unsurprising for the age and given the historical context. The authors also explain that despite the plenteous posturing by Modernist writers, the Modernists' radical stylistic innovations did little to sway the reading and writing habits of the public general. The passage presents this as a cautionary tale to avant-garde literary enthusiasts – that their chase for the next new, big thing in literary style should not leave them with the tag of elitism hanging around their necks, as was the plight their modernist forerunners.