By Jutta Seibert

Students and scholars interested in the modernist era will welcome the chance to take a closer look at The Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism (REM) in the coming weeks. Trial access will be available until October 23 through the Databases A-Z list on the Library’s website.

REM distinguishes itself through global interdisciplinary coverage of its subject matter. The ideas of modernism were explored and embraced by artists, writers, and thinkers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Well known schools and movements such as expressionism, social realism, dadaism, cubism, and Bauhaus emerged during the modernist era. Modernist thinking and ideas influenced architecture, dance, theater, film, literature, music, philosophy, and the visual arts.

The REM platform offers both keyword searching and browsing by subject, movement, and place. All articles are written by subject specialists and include recommended reading lists as well as cross-references to related resources. For example, the article about Russian Modernism proffers links to articles about representative Russian artists and works as well as to overview articles on Social Realism and Symbolism. While REM content is heavily weighted in favor of artists and movements in the visual arts and literature, there are some unexpected contributions, such as an article about Physical Culture, which traces today’s interest in physical fitness back to the modernist era.

Take the online tour to learn more about REM, and contact us if you would like to recommend REM for the permanent collection.

Jutta Seibert is Director of Research Services & Scholarly Engagement at Falvey Memorial Library.