Modernist Magazines and Digital Humanities

Created as a "miscelleny", literary magazine The Owl addresses no particular sect or movement of Modernism, nor does it claim to take any political view. The contents of each of its three issues are organized in a relatively similar fashion: the first half generally contained a great deal of poetry, followed by a story, and a play of sorts. The issues are dispersed with illustrations, some with handwritten poetry or fables written out beneath them. The Owl possesses a sense of imagery that is somewhat cartoonish and imaginative. The illustrations seem to observe people in an exaggerrated, but genuine state, almost emphasizing the world and life as would be observed by a child, or youth. These articles contain flowery, loopy typescript that appears to be handwritten, and pages are headed with small drawings of paper scrolls and flourishes. Each issue displays the written names of the authors therein on the cover, beneath a bold illustration of an Owl, all possessing strong dark lines that mimic the writing of the contents, and each contains various portraits of people in an unusual, enlivened state. Careless Lady, in the May 1915 edition, as well as Vain Man, in the October 1919 issue, both contain illustrations of high spirited people, acting in a childlike sense; in addition, both pictures are followed by a short, almost Mother Goose type rhyme about these adults acting in an enigmatic, youthful fashion. The poetry of the magazine has a tendency to discuss light hearted topics such as nature, and love. A sense of freedom, happiness, and a certain ignorance of sadness is prominent throughout. The magazine almost seems geared towards forgetting, and holding life and carelessness to a high standard, much obliged by the illustrative titles and covers of the text throughout The Owl.