The 20th century is replete with personages who helped set the standards or defined the course of national or international history. In the artistic world, many great individuals contributed to making the period interesting, revolutionary and creative.
Literature: William Butler YeatsIn the literary world, among the 20th century giants is William Butler Yeats. An Irish-born dramatist, poet and prose writer, Yeats is regarded as one of the towering giants of English-language writing for the century. Yeats, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, was one of those responsible for the famed Irish Literary Renaissance movement (Hallstrom). One of Yeats' greatest works is The Land of Heart's Desire, a magical fairy poetry that is both dramatically fine, and fresh and dreamy in its melody. This work well represents the Irish Revival not only because of its poetic fineness but as well, for its theme of Midsummer Eve's fairies, which derives from Irish traditional legends.
English: Elvis Presley meeting Richard Nixon. On D...
Promotional photograph of Elvis Presley, taken in ...
Anna loves fish!Literature: Robert Newton PeckAnother influential 20th century literary figure is Robert Newton Peck. He is a celebrated American award-winning author who has published over 60 novels and poetry, children's and young adult works in particular. He is most famous for his first and auto-biographical novel A Day No Pigs would Die, an unsentimental portrayal of his youth's farm living. The novel is among the top eight most popular young adult novels (YA) during a 1989 survey of YA literature professors, high school teachers, librarians and publishers. A Day No Pigs Would Die well reflects the realism and pervading call of later 20th century, with its use of both elderly and slang languages, and its candid portrayal of life's harsh realities (Sheridan 111).
Visual Arts: Jackson PollockIn the world of painting, an influential figure is American abstract painter Jackson Pollock. Dubbed by influential critics to...