This quote suggests that modernism, as a movement and philosophy, has transformed traditional narratives in literature and art. The conventional structure of ‘beginning, middle, and end’ is often subverted or obscured in modernist works. However, Cooley’s statement emphasizes that these elements are not completely discarded; they’re simply reimagined.
In the context of modernism, the beginning may not be at the start of a work but could be revealed midway through or even at the end. The middle could be fragmented or scattered throughout different parts of the narrative. The end might not provide closure but instead leave questions unanswered or loop back to earlier parts of the story.
Despite these alterations to traditional narrative structures, Cooley argues that they are still present within modernist works – just hidden or reversed rather than blatantly obvious. This reflects one key aspect of modernism: its tendency to challenge conventions and encourage audiences to view things from new perspectives.
Applying this concept beyond literature into today’s world could involve challenging our understanding of time and progress in our lives. We often view life linearly – birth as a beginning, death as an end with various milestones marking our ‘middle’. But what if we took a more ‘modernist’ approach? We might see life events not as points on a straight line but interconnected experiences without clear beginnings or ends.
In terms of personal development this idea encourages us to think outside traditional frameworks for success which typically follow a linear progression: education then career then retirement etc., Modernism invites us to see value in non-linear paths where learning can come before or after formal education; career changes can occur at any age; retirement isn’t necessarily an ending but perhaps another beginning.
Thus Cooley’s quote is an invitation for us all – whether we’re artists creating work or individuals crafting our own life stories – to play with convention and redefine what it means for something (or someone) to have a beginning, middle, and end.
