Cuda (literature, University of North Carolina at Greensboro) reexamines the work of T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, Virginia Wollf and Thomas Mann in terms of "passion scenes". This does not mean erotic qualities but the depth of feeling experienced by the authors that is reflected in their work. Using a wide breadth of sources, including letters and monographs, Cuda argues that these authors were not dispassionate Modernists but fully invested in strong human emotions. Using quotes from his subjects as examples, Cuda also reevaluates the concept of Modernism, encouraging the reader to consider the underlying passion in other writers of the time. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)