I thought we were talking about the whole 20th century, not just the "modern world," which you begin on the eve of the First World War. But if you are going to equate the 20th century & the "modern world," that only reinforces my argument that "unsettlement" was more characteristic of the NINETEENTH than of the twentieth century. <g>
The 19th century, for one thing, will get what I consider the Golden Age -- that turn of the century (not just fin de siecle) immense burst of unparalleled creativity in just about every field of creative & intellectual endeavor.
Come to think of it, I should do a Top !00 list for the 19th century. Two bits it would make yours (or anyone's) Top 100 list for the 20th century look sick! That's partially because we have the advantage of distance, when we look at the 19th century.
The advantage of distance was what I had in mind when I mentioned the leap in life expectancy. Up close, we often do not even notice developments that in the next century others will see as the most significant. In every century, for example, people tend to overemphasize wars. They make a lot of noise, when they are going on. But the long-term consequences can be quite ephemeral.
In what particular way do you consider Hemingway's influence to have been baneful? That's an awfully strong word!!!
I still wonder whether you should not have proposed drawing up a list of "My Favorite People of the 20th Century", rather than "The Most Influential." Otherwise, it seems very odd to include G. K. Chesterton, who appeals to a very "special" audience, and exclude Hemingway, who has a world-wide audience. |
