'I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing, Each to Each:' Modernism, Science, Mythology, and Feminist Narratives

This work presents my vision of modernism, which encompasses science, mythology, and SF (science fiction/speculative fiction). I examine lesser-known writers such as Hope Mirrlees, Nancy Cunard, H. P. Lovecraft, and Katherine Burdekin and argue that they should be inducted into the canon of well-known authors such as T. S. Eliot. As well, I position the feminist narratives of authors such as Hope Mirrlees and H.D. against the patriarchal narratives of authors such as C. S. Lewis and T. S. Eliot. In the latter portion of this work, I examine how modernism has influenced contemporary literature by Margaret Atwood and Caitlin R. Kiernan and discuss women writers within the SF genre. Finally, I compare Virginia Woolf's modernist masterpiece The Waves with Caitlin R. Kiernan's contemporary masterpiece The Drowning Girl. I contend that Woolf and Kiernan fully unite science and mythology in their respective liberatory feminist narratives. Throughout the course of this work, I use pedagogical theory to propose strategies for bringing these authors and their texts into the classroom and making them relevant for college-level literature students by referring to contemporary popular culture.