Which movement is associated with fragmentation and alienation in the early 20th century?

• A. Romanticism
• B. Realism
• C. Modernism
• D. Dystopia

Answer: (C)

Fragmentation and alienation are hallmarks of Modernism, the movement of the early 20th century that broke with traditional ways of storytelling and representation to capture a fractured, unsettled world. This era experimented with form—shifting perspectives, nonlinear timelines, collage-like juxtapositions, and stream-of-consciousness narration—to reflect how people felt isolated and disconnected in a rapidly changing society. The aim wasn’t to present a smooth, unified plot or a singular, grand idea, but to mirror ambiguity, doubt, and the sense that meaning itself could be unstable.

Romanticism emphasizes intense emotion and awe before nature, often in a more cohesive, expansive style, so it doesn’t center on fragmentation. Realism focuses on accurate, detailed depictions of everyday life with relatively straightforward structure, which also contrasts with Modernist disruption. Dystopia refers to a genre depicting oppressive futures, not a broad artistic movement that redefined form and technique across literature and art in the same way Modernism did.