Nihilism & Postwar Britain
Graham Greene & the End of Modernism
Some Context…
St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral…WWII
The Modernist Movement
¤ In the Late 19th & Early 20th Century,
most developed Western Cultures
were undergoing massive
technological change.
¤ Arts & Culture were also shifting.
Many writers and poets wanted to
depart from more traditional forms.
The Modernist Movement: Art &
Technology
¤ Poets like Ezra Pound wanted art to
‘Make it New!’…to embrace new
technology and welcome it into
the culture scene as well.
¤ Throughout Europe there was a
belief that science & technology
could ‘fix’ society’s ills.
Henry Ford & Modern Production
¤ In The US, Henry Ford
introduced the
assembly line and
modern factory
production.
¤ Technology was
seen as a universal
force for good.
The End of Modernism…
¤ The end point of
this though was
World War II.
¤ Hitler & the Nazis
used technology to
commit genocide.
¤ Science/Tech &
factory production
were used for
weapons.
The End of Modernism…
¤ The Holocaust, and the US use of
the Atomic Bomb on Japan caused
a wide-spread reconsideration of
the ‘goodness’ of technology.
¤ It also caused people to rethink
their ideas of ‘good’ and ‘evil’…
and question their past values.
Nihilism Emerges…
¤ Nihilism: life is without meaning,
purpose, or value.
¤ Existing institutions needed to be
destroyed to make way for new
ideas & structures.
Nihilism & Morals
¤ ‘Morality’ does not exist. It has no
meaning.
¤ Traditional ideas of ‘good’ and
‘evil’ are meaningless.
¤ Religious & cultural institutions were
all questioned.
Metaphysical Nihilism
¤ Extreme forms of Nihilism claimed
that the very objects around us do
not exist. They do not actually exist
outside of our consciousness.
¤ Consider this: how do you know
that the world you sense is real?
Questions For Discussion
¤ Give three examples of behaviour that you
think are universally good. Three examples of
behaviour you think is universally bad.
¤ You are a nihilist…what are 3 aspects of
modern ‘progress’ you would reject as
meaningless or unnecessary?
¤ Describe the ways in which the children’s
behavior in The Destructors reflects the nihilism
that was prevalent at the time.
Graham Greene & The Destructors
¤  Born at the turn of the
20th Century, he
worked as a journalist/
editor.
¤  He lived through the
blitz in WWII,
continuing to write at
the time.
¤  He wrote The
Destructors in 1954.
Key Quotations
¤ “destruction, after all, is a form of creation”
¤ “All this hate and love…it’s soft, it’s hooey.
There’s only things, Blackie.”
¤ “[The] house…literally leant, for it had suffered
from the blast of the bomb and the side walls
were supported on wooden struts”
¤  Given the symbolism of the house, consider what
it means that it needs supports to be held up.
Some Key Terms
¤ Setting
¤ Time/place in which the story takes place
¤ Can include physical descriptions, sensory
descriptions, etc.
¤ Allusion
¤ Indirect reference in literature
¤ Symbol
¤ Something in a text that represents something
else.