Ford Madox Hueffer's The Good Soldier

To analyse a modernist text in terms of its broader cultural significance we must first understand the concept of modernism itself. Within my analysis of this text I shall attempt to define what makes this text ‘modern’, how it is a reflection of the period in which it was written and the cultural contexts surrounding the extract. I will argue that this particular modernist text was an effective medium of commenting upon, and addressing (whether that be blatantly or indirectly) issues faced by western society and culture in the late 19th and early 20th century. The extract subject to my analysis features in Ford Madox Hueffer’s The Good Soldier. Published in 1915 it came after the start of the First World War; it was however written in 1914, a time of rising tensions as well as great instability and upheaval in England as the country experienced domestic crisis.

The novel details a character whom desperately struggles to make sense of a world after his preordained notions of morals and values are challenged. The character John Dowell is forced to revaluate his naïve faith in face value appearances and the ‘traditional’ systems. Under the guise of John Dowell’s (a modernist man) reflective narration, Ford is able to comment upon the flaw of traditional preconceptions when considering people and society as a whole. When considering these points the first paragraph of the extract makes for interesting