The 20th century saw immense changes in society driven by advances in science and technology. This modern period from 1901-2000 witnessed a shift away from past traditions towards an era defined by innovation in fields like transportation, communication, physics, and weaponry. Literature also changed significantly during this time, moving from formal Victorian structures to more informal and nonlinear styles that reflected the doubt, chaos, and stream of consciousness of the modern age. Writers like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf pioneered techniques like incorporating character memories to disrupt linear plots.

1. TWENTIETH CENTURY

2.  To understand twentieth century literature, one needs to understand the society
of 20 th century
 This period is known commonly as modern age.
 It falls roughly from year 1901 to 2000.
 However, the later years are also said to fall in postmodern period.
 Postmodern period is a shift within the twentieth century
 Modernism was a break away fromVictorianism which led to postmodernism

3. MODERN AGE
 Twentieth century was a breakup from the past traditions and customs.
 Science became the new norm of the century
 Transportations became fast
 Communications became better
 This age saw change in politcal, cultural, social, and ideological ways.
 There was innovation in every aspect.
 New discoveries were made in every field, e.g. Relativity and quantum physics
 Discovery of insecticide, antibiotics and atom bomb

4. SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY
 Mass production in industries. Especially in vehicle industries led to the production of
cheaper products.
 Availabilty of information through media and accesibiloty of communication through
telephone made world smaller.
 Use of new advanced weapons in wars, more sepcifically in world war 1 led to mass
destruction.

5.  Women were allowed in western countries to vote for the first time in this century
 World war 1 claimed many lives due to the involvment of many countries and also
the use of weapons of mass destruction.
 United States of America rose as a super power.
 Its rise was mainly due to industrialisation
 Two world wars in one century also paved way for change on different platforms.

6.  The world also changed socially.
 It got more urbanized
 People started to migrate to cities, particularly in Europe and America
 The subject matter of novels also changed.
 The writers wrote their stories in urbanized settings

7. TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE
 As the ages was the age of doubt and anxiety.
 The literature also depicted the same.
 Earlier, there was form in everything but the chaos of 20th century brought an
informal structure and outlook in everything.
 For instance, the plot of novels were not linear anymore, they were haphazard,
being called novels based on stream of consciousness technique.
 A scene was always disrupted by the memories of characters.
 James Joyce andVirginia Woolf are called the harbingers of this technique.