`` Rites Of Spring `` By Modris Eksteins - 921 Words

Published in 1989, Modris Eksteins’ book, â€Å"Rites of Spring† argues that World War I, with Germany specifically as a catalyst, is the turning point of modernism. As Eksteins explains it, World War I was the final battle between the old world and the new, modern, world. To put it simply: England and her allies represented the old ways, while Germany and her allies represented new ways. Eksteins believed that the end of the nineteenth century was filled with urges for modernism with Germany leading the way as the â€Å"modernist nation par excellence of our century† Throughout the three acts of his novel, Eksteins continues to address how Germany, and both world wars, managed to battle the old ways of the nineteenth century and as a result continue into the twentieth century with humanity completely disillusioned as a whole. Paying homage to the Russian ballet â€Å"The Rite of Spring† with his novel’s title, Eksteins begins his analysis of World War I by discussing Stravinsky’s ballet, which premiered in 1913. The ballet, which shocked audiences by straying from what was most accepted during the time, is used in comparison to Germany and both world wars. According to Eksteins, both the ballet and Germany share similar notions of sacrifice being essential to life, and glorify death. Germany, specifically, glorified death as a means of fighting against the old orders in search of liberation and global acceptance of modernism. Therefore, Germany’s reasoning for fighting in World War IShow MoreRelatedThe Rites Of Spring By A Modris Ekstein1527 Words   |  7 PagesThe novel â€Å"The Rites of Spring† is written by a Modris Ekstein is a Latvian author whose family was negatively impacted by the German occupation during the war. This literary work is based on the Eksteinâ €™s claims about modernisms influence in the cause of World War 1. He divides the book into the acts similar to the play in that is the books namesake. Throughout this work, Ekstein argues that the ideology of modernism, which is primarily concerned with â€Å"introspection, death, emancipation, primitivismRead MoreEssay The Rites of Spring by Modris Eksteins1028 Words   |  5 PagesModris Eksteins presented a tour-de-force interpretation of the political, social and cultural climate of the early twentieth century. His sources were not merely the more traditional sources of the historian: political, military and economic accounts; rather, he drew from the rich, heady brew of art, music, dance, literature and philosophy as well. Eksteins examined ways in which life influenced, imitated, and even became art. Eksteins argues that life and art, as well as death, became so intermeshedRead MoreEuropean History as Told Through Diaghilevs Rite of Spring Essay example1030 Words   |à ‚  5 PagesCentury is seen as the ‘modern era’. So where in between these two extremes can historians label a turning point as the end of one era, and the start of another? Modris Eksteins offers his view in Rites of Spring, where he uses the Russian ballet of the same name as a metaphor for the changing society during the World War I era. Eksteins views Germany as being the most modern nation in Europe, despite the outcome of the war, and sees its characteristics in the ballet, with Serge Diaghilev as the ringmasterRead MoreHannah Arendt, Totalitarianism ( New York ; Harcourt, 1976 )1663 Words   |  7 Pagesvalues. These are generally quite instruction from the book as well as the alerts: self-interest can be normal. (Kovaly, 1986). MODRIS EKSTEINS, RITES OF SPRING (NEW YORK: HOUGHTON MIFFLIN, 2000) Modris Eksteins, within his publication Rites of Spring, points out the first entire World War because of it’s pivotal time in modern-day history and also consciousness. Eksteins’ discussion is that the modern world is concerned with death, emancipation, introspection, movement, primitivism, abstraction andRead MoreAutomatism In The Rite Of Spring By Viktor Sklovsky1089 Words   |  5 Pagesperceive. Through this strategy, art will be removed from automatism and the length of our perceptions will be prolonged- allowing for the aestheticizing of art. This strategy is exemplified in the Rites of Spring by Modris Eksteins (derived from Stravinsky’s ballet, Rite of Spring). In this novel, Eksteins describes the shock factor that this ballet produced. Stravinsky hoped to design this ballet in a way that was not meant to teach or imitate but to provoke genuine experience. To construct this playRead MoreThe Work Of Brown And Seaton1235 Words   |  5 PagesThe work of Brown and Seaton is considered the first ‘accurate’ cultural history on the Christmas truce, using personal accounts to put together ‘the best book on the subject,’ which, along with the work of Ashworth and Ekstein, is seen as the top starting point in analysing the truce. Terraine says the book is ‘an excellent account, placing the truce in its proper context and collecting eyewitness impressions skilfully from both sides.’ This view differs drastically from his past criticism ofRead MoreAnalysis Of All Quiet On The Western Front 1884 Words   |  8 Pagesviolent deaths—patriotism, national duty, honor, glory, heroism, valor. The external world consists only of brutality, hypocrisy, illusion. Even the intimate bonds to family have been sundered. Man remains alone, without a foothold in the real world† (Eksteins). Nature is a force that can be destroyed by war, yet can still be untouchable. Iron is a predominant image throughout All Quiet on the Western Front. Iron is a tough, strong, and resilient material that is used for weapons, but also describes the