AUDEN'S CRITIQUE OF MODERNITY: TECHNOLOGY, ALIENATION AND SOCIAL DISCONNECTION

Authors

  • Shipra Harsh Research Scholar, University Department of English, Binod Bihari Mahto Koyalanchal University, Dhanbad, Jharkhand
  • Dr. Mantosh Pandey Head Department of English, P.K. Roy College,Dhanbad Jharkhand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i6.2024.5021

Keywords:

W.H. Auden, Modernity, Alienation, Technology, Social Disconnection, Poetry

Abstract [English]

W.H. Auden, one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, frequently addressed the complexities of modernity in his works. His poetry reveals a profound critique of how technological advancement, alienation, and social disconnection have shaped human experience. Auden’s writings often explore the tension between technological progress and the loss of personal intimacy and community. In poems like The Shield of Achilles and September 1, 1939, Auden presents a world where mechanical efficiency and scientific achievements come at the cost of moral decay and emotional isolation. He critiques the dehumanizing aspects of modernity, highlighting how the pursuit of technological innovation leads to a sense of estrangement from nature, tradition, and interpersonal relationships. This article examines how Auden's treatment of modernity serves as a commentary on the ethical and social implications of technology, and how his poetry urges readers to reconsider the values that guide contemporary life.

References

Auden, W. H. As I Walked Out One Evening: Poems 1930-1970. Vintage International, 1995.

---. Selected Poems. Edited by Edward Mendelson, Vintage International, 2007.

Carpenter, Humphrey. W.H. Auden: A Biography. Houghton Mifflin, 1981.

Fuller, John. W.H. Auden: A Commentary. Princeton University Press, 1999.

Mendelson, Edward. Early Auden. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1981.

---. Later Auden. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.

Smith, Stan. W.H. Auden. Blackwell, 1985.

Bloom, Harold, editor. W.H. Auden (Bloom's Modern Critical Views). Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.

Emig, Rainer. W.H. Auden: Towards a Postmodern Poetics. Palgrave Macmillan, 2000. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230286979

Monroe, Jonathan. Auden's Apologies for Poetry. Princeton University Press, 1990.

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Published

2024-06-30

How to Cite

Harsh, S., & Pandey, M. (2024). AUDEN’S CRITIQUE OF MODERNITY: TECHNOLOGY, ALIENATION AND SOCIAL DISCONNECTION. ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 5(6), 1791–1797. https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i6.2024.5021