In answering this question I would want to focus on the
way in which Modernism sought new forms to try and mirror the fragmentation and
uncertainty that characterised modern life following the shock of World War I. Out of
the list you have provided of characteristics of Modernism, perhaps the most relevant is
number four: experimentation with language and technique. What is remarkable about this
excellent short story is the way that although the narrator is omniscient, the narrator
deliberately distances himself as far away from the story as possible, only giving us
the briefest of outlines. We are given no access into the thoughts or minds of either
character. Rather, the narrator chooses to leave them to reveal themselves through their
dialogue. We are left to pick up the pieces and infer what is going
on.
The amount of dialogue in this story compared to
narration is incredible, as often whole sections just report the conversation between
Jig and her lover with no interruptions or other information given by the narrator. This
again forces us as readers to read between the lines as we assess the disintegration
that is occurring between the relationship of Jig and her lover.
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