Modernista Research Guide

This is a research guide for University of Michigan undergraduate students who are learning and writing about the women of Modernist literature.

So you’ve heard of T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound; but can you name any female figures – other than Virginia Woolf – who helped to shape Modernism as we know today? Modernism is a literary movement that swept across Europe and North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The contributions made by female Modernist figures – or “Modernistas,” as we like to call them – are conventionally less discussed in academia. As a result, it is difficult to find helpful resources when researching these women. We see them as the “unsung heroines” of Modernism, women who greatly contributed to the movement without as much recognition as their male counterparts. With the help of our research guide, you will learn about specific figures we think are worth highlighting as well as general tips on researching this topic.

Our research guide provides an easy introduction to many types of resources. If you don’t have any previous experience in conducting research for English literature courses, we recommend you to think about where you want to start.  Using this guide, you can:

• browse the Key Figures section to look at a selection of Modernist writers, poets, and editors: you can use their names and the titles of their works as keywords in your searches
• Go With Books: go in person and browse the shelves for some of these print works OR request these resources on Mirlyn and pick them up later. We divided books into different levels. Depending on the stage and depth of your research, choose the type of resources that best suits your need.
  • Get Started: a selected list of introductory books you can consult – great for an introduction to Modernism
  • Go Deep: a selected list of literary criticism (written by scholars)
  • Special Collections: a guide on how to find rare materials (such as manuscripts, letters, and picture of writers)
• Go Digital: check out some electronic resources and jumpstart your research (make sure you are logged in to the University of Michigan, so you can access online resources from your own computer). This is the best option to choose if you already have your topic and want to find more targeted results.

Good luck with your search and enjoy getting to know the Modernistas!

p.s. The picture you see as our banner was painted by Picasso (and is owned by the University of Michigan Museum of Art). Do you know which woman was his biggest patron in Paris? Hint – she coined the phrase “the Lost Generation” to describe authors like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. She is in this guide: go start your search!