During the modern period, writers were concerned with abandoning Victorian literary traditions, tackling new subjects, and using new forms. Many of them were disillusioned by the devastation of the First World War and fed up with the hypocrisy of Victorian society. The way people perceive themselves and society has changed; they wanted to solve the problems that the Victorians had ignored and begin to improve society. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford illustrates how the content and form of modernist literature differs from that of the Victorian era. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The content of The Good Soldier illustrates key themes of the modernist novel. First, Ford presents a series of loveless marriages and affairs. For the Victorians, marriage was sacred; it was supposed to consist of unconditional love and constancy. When Florence dies, Dowell has "no sorrow, no desire for action, no desire to go upstairs and come upon [his] wife's body (128)." Their marriage had been full of secrets, from Florence's affairs to her lack of heart problems and the poison she kept with her, calling it medicine. Their marriage was not typical of Victorian honesty. The Ashburnhams' marriage was no better: “Edward did not love Leonora and… Leonora hated Edward (253). » Edward said to his wife: “By Jupiter, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. I wish we could be better friends (206). By saying this, he acknowledges that they are not friends and that it might be impossible for them to be. Dowell mentions several times that Edward hated Leonora. He didn't like the way she handled all his affairs, monetary and sexual. Leonora also “hated his acts of heroism (199).” Leonora said to Florence: “You want to tell me that you are Edward’s mistress. You can be. I have no use for him (222). This is not the sort of thing that happened in Victorian literature. Men didn't have affairs, and women certainly didn't know it was possible for them to have them. However, in this novel, almost all the women are “prostitutes”. These are the kinds of things the Victorians liked to pretend didn't exist. The fact that they are exposed in this novel shows that it is a modern novel. Another element of modernism that is important in this novel is the exposure of hypocrisy, tearing down false facades and exposing "the show" for what it really was. The Victorians maintained the illusion that if you didn't recognize a problem, it didn't exist. Ford exposes the ugly aspects of society that people didn't want to admit, let alone face. Most of the characters in this novel are hypocrites in one way or another. John Dowell, the narrator, presents the outward appearance of Florence and the Ashburnhams' lives in which they appear to be "fairly good people (8.)". However, as he progresses in his story, he exposes the true inner nature of the couple and the reality of their lives. Edward Ashburnham is a soldier, and Dowell explains: "All good soldiers are sentimental... their profession is full of big words: courage, loyalty, honor, constancy (33). » Set before the First World War, Edward represents the typical English soldier of the Victorian era, blinded by parades. As we later find out, Edward has been anything but consistent and loyal, having affairs with at least four different women. “Constancy was the most beautiful of virtues(33-34)” he said. Yet, for him, constancy was the belief that whatever “woman he was making love with at that moment was the one with whom he was ultimately destined, to be eternally constant…(34).” Leonora, on the other hand, is not entirely innocent either. She knew all about Edward's behavior, but she didn't confront him or try to stop him. “There could not be a better man on earth (111-112),” she told Dowell. In fact, she encouraged Edward's behavior, eventually telling Nancy that she should belong to Edward (293). When Edward finally decides to send Nancy away for their own good, Leonora tells him that it is "the most atrocious thing you have ever done in your atrocious life (244)." Florence also “came to see [Leonora] as soon as [Edward] got out of bed to tell [her] that it was [her] place (83)”. Meanwhile, Dowell believes she has been faithful to him. Exposing this blatant hypocrisy sets this novel apart from earlier periods. One of the other obvious elements of modernism in The Good Soldier is the sense of alienation. This is one of the main characteristics of modernism; Before that time, people thought it was a bad thing to be out of step with society. Each of the main characters in this novel experiences an immense sense of loneliness, even though they are surrounded by other people. “I only know that I am alone, horribly alone (11),” Dowell tells the reader. At the end of the novel, he sits alone in Edward's armory, "no one visits [him] because [he] visits no one." Nobody cares about [him]. (292) » This pain of alienation, modernists believed, was inevitable. The Victorians did their best to conform, but the modernists believed that loneliness was simply a part of life that everyone had to deal with. Dowell also sees that “it is Florence who is alone… (82),” which perhaps explains why she has had affairs with other men. She had no real connection with her unaffectionate husband, so she turned to other men to try to cure her loneliness. This may also be why Edward reached out to other women. He couldn't connect with Leonora; their views on religion, wealth, ostentation and generosity were too contradictory. Leonora also experiences an immense feeling of alienation: "She had a crazy desire for communication with another human soul (235.)" She cannot speak to anyone, because that would be recognizing a problem and demanding action, which would diminish her pride – for “Leonora [was] the proudest creature on God’s earth (62)”). For the modern individualist, alienation is inevitable. Flawed structure and storytelling is another element that places this novel in the modern period. Dowell speaks in the first person, with a reflective voice that looks back to the past. Since he is looking backward, he uses both the past and the present in his story. Dowell is an unreliable narrator, leaving out details, contradicting himself, and manipulating readers into believing what Ford wants them to believe. “I have unwittingly misled you (103),” he admits several times throughout the novel. Dowell's account may seem incoherent, but it is realistic. Because he himself witnessed much of the events of this novel and was privy to many of Ashburnham's secrets, Dowell is able to tell the story from multiple points of view – but they are often completely contradictory, whereas the typical Victorian narrator was omniscient. and objective. Dowell's own comments and thoughts are mixed into his narrative, another sign of literature.