The most common element in modernism is a sense of loss, including loss of civilization and connection with nature. The theme of loss of civilization is one that T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound take up in their poems and W. B. Yeats uses the loss of a connection with nature, as when Yeats writes, "The center cannot hold / The falcon cannot hear the falconer" in his poem "The Second Coming," he is bemoaning that the connection between humanity and nature has been compromised, if not severed. In "The Second Coming," relationships between men and women suffer the same fate, leading to the collapse of all cities, and ultimately, of civilization itself.
Another common characteristic of modernism is the decline of the importance of religion. Many authors decided to replace traditional religion with a new form of symbolism, which was often pagan in origin. Ezra Pound revived ancient Greek poetry in his lengthy poem, "The Cantos." James Joyce emphasized the lessening importance of religious faith in his characters' lives. In his novel "Ulysses," Leopold Bloom is a nonpracticing Jew, and Stephen Daedalus is a nonpracticing Catholic. At times, religion is mocked, but modernism's main critique of religion is that religion is no longer strong enough to provide the foundation for civilization.
Interestingly, although modernists implemented new methods of narration, they borrowed heavily from the literary tradition. For example, James Joyce's "Ulysses" uses what T. S. Eliot refers to as the "mythic method." In this narrative style, the ancient past and the contemporary scene are presented simultaneously; Leopold Bloom's journey back to his wife Molly is the same as Odysseus returning back home to his wife Penelope. Advances in psychology also contribute to new methods such as the stream of consciousness; readers are presented with the inner thoughts of an author's characters in an often confusing manner. William Faulkner and Virginia Woolf are notable practitioners of this new writing style.
In 1906, author Upton Sinclair spent two months in Chicago's "Packingtown," to research the conditions of workers in the meat-packing plants and found unsanitary conditions, which led to the passing of the federal Pure Food and Drug and Meat Inspection Act of 1906. His novel "The Jungle," portrayed these unsanitary conditions as well as the inequities, corruption and poor living and working conditions of the workers, which were dire, compared to their wealthier bosses. "The Jungle" was emblematic of the economic injustices that plagued society at that time, as the burgeoning industrialist society -- coupled with few laws -- paved the way for unscrupulous bosses to profit from these exploitative practices.