Patrick White and Modernism

Modernism in White's novels plays a significant role. The reason for this claim is White's emphasis to transcend the banality of everyday life. To achieve this transcendence, White finds no better way but modernism, Modernism in the novels of Patrick White is the main concern of this article. Scholar has attempted to define modernism in certain key words that would signify the connection of modernism to transcendence. Modernism as including certain features that act as the tools that White uses in her novel to help his characters achieve transcendence. These qualities are humanism, freedom of soul and body, a feeling of character, independence and idiosyncrasy, peace, prosperity and progression. Through these elements, the characters in novels of Patrick White achieve transcendence either in struggle with nature, society or themselves. This struggle with self happens in a certain state of mind which finally leads to the formation of a new attitude in the character. Transcendence is to move above the banality of life or to work in that direction; though it may cause the character's life but finally it helps the character transcend. The heroic modern act is defined in struggle and determination to make an achievement and as far as you keep this struggle, you have not failed or are not defeated.