In the HCJ lecture on 29th of October, we were introduced to modernism. Modernism marked a move away from the passion and fervour of the Romantic period and back towards a scientific world view that was similar in some respects to the enlightenment. However, modernism, as the name suggests, was concerned mainly with 'newness'. Modernism sought to eradicate unnecessary tradition and was obsessed with finding new ways of creating and interpreting art, literature and the world around us.
Modernism was the age of Nietzsche and Freud, of Joyce in literature, and of Wagner in music.
During this period, an American press baron (one of the first of the modern type) grew to prominence in the United States. His name was William Randolph Hearst, and his life formed the starting point for the screenplay that became Citizen Kane. As such, although it is possible to view Citizen Kane as simply a well-written motion picture, the viewer should be aware that they are watching a thinly disguised biography of the life of one of the first press barons ever to grace America. It is interesting to note how 'proactive' the tabloid press became under Hearst's leadership, when it came to getting news stories.
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