Post modernism

- Postmodern literature emerged after World War II in reaction to Enlightenment ideas

found in Modernist literature.
- Characteristics include fragmentation, paradox, and the use of unreliable narrators.
- It is challenging to precisely define, but key features align with Lyotard's "metanarrative"
and "little narrative," Derrida's "play," and Baudrillard's "simulacra."
- Postmodern authors reject the search for meaning in a chaotic world, often using playful
parodies.
- They distrust totalizing mechanisms, including the authority of the author, and favor
chance over craft.
- Metafiction is common to challenge the notion of a single authoritative narrative.
- Postmodern literature blurs the line between high and low culture through pastiche,
combining diverse cultural elements and genres.
Background

Notable influences:

Postmodernism is a way of doing art and writing that's influenced by some older stuff. It's like taking
inspiration from old books like Don Quixote and The Arabian Nights, which had interesting ways of telling
stories. People in the past, like Laurence Sterne and Oscar Wilde, also played around with stories in unique
ways.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, some playwrights like August Strindberg and Luigi Pirandello, as well as
artists in the Dada and Surrealist movements, did things that were different from traditional art and
literature. They liked randomness, making fun of serious things, and using their imagination freely.

Postmodernism takes these ideas and uses them to create art and stories that are sometimes tricky to
understand. It's like a mix of experimenting, making fun of serious stuff, and letting the imagination run wild.
People like Jorge Luis Borges and others from the 20th century are seen as important for this style of writing.
So, postmodernism is all about being creative in a unique and sometimes confusing way.

Comparisons with modernist literature:

Both modern and postmodern literature break away from 19th-century realism. They delve into subjective
experiences rather than focusing on external reality, drawing inspiration from writers like Virginia Woolf and
James Joyce, known for their "stream of consciousness" style.

Both modern and postmodern literature also use fragmentary storytelling and character development.
However, a notable distinction can be found in T.S. Eliot's poem "The Waste Land." While it shares the
fragmentary nature seen in postmodern works, it still aims to find some order amidst the chaos.

In modernist literature, fragmentation and subjectivity are often seen as problems that artists aim to solve.
Postmodernists, on the other hand, emphasize the idea that chaos may be insurmountable, and the artist's
role is not to solve it but to play within it.

Playfulness is present in both modernist and postmodern works, but in postmodernism, it becomes a central
theme, and achieving a clear order and meaning may seem unlikely. Some key names associated with this
distinction include Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, and their influence on postmodern literature.
Shit to postmodernism:

The transition to postmodernism in literature doesn't have specific start and end dates, but several factors
contributed to its emergence. Some suggest that it began around 1941, marked by the deaths of influential
modernist writers like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.

The "post" in postmodernism doesn't necessarily mean a new era but can signify a reaction against
modernism, especially in response to the troubling events of World War II, like the atomic bombings, the
Holocaust, and other human rights violations. Postmodernism can also be seen as a reaction to events such
as the Cold War, the civil rights movement, postcolonialism, and the rise of the personal computer.

The start of postmodern literature isn't set in stone, but some point to specific books or events like John
Hawkes' "The Cannibal" or Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" in the late 1940s and 1950s. Others link it
to important moments in critical theory, such as Jacques Derrida's lecture in 1966.

Brian McHale, a scholar, says that Modernism primarily dealt with how we know things (epistemology),
whereas postmodernism is more concerned with questions about what exists (ontology). In other words,
modernism explored knowledge and understanding, while postmodernism delves into the nature of reality
and existence.

Post-war developments and transition figures:

Postmodern literature emerged as a response to various post-war developments and is associated with
significant transitional figures. These developments include the Theatre of the Absurd, the Beat Generation,
and Magic Realism.

Theatre of the Absurd: This movement in theater, marked by absurd and nonsensical situations, was
influenced by playwrights like Antonin Artaud and Luigi Pirandello.

Samuel Beckett: Beckett is seen as a key figure transitioning from modernism to postmodernism. His work,
characterized by characters in futile situations trying to communicate, shifted away from modernism's focus
on language's possibilities.

The Beat Generation: This group of American writers, including Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs,
introduced spontaneous prose and maximalism as a response to the materialistic 1950s.

William S. Burroughs: Known for "Naked Lunch," Burroughs is considered one of the first truly postmodern
novelists due to his use of fragmentation, pastiche, parody, and chance-driven editing.

Magic Realism: Popular among Latin American writers, Magic Realism treats supernatural elements as
ordinary. Writers like Gabriel García Márquez and Julio Cortázar are sometimes labeled as postmodernists.

Vladimir Nabokov: Nabokov, known for "Lolita," is another transitional figure. His later works, such as "Pale
Fire" and "Ada or Ardor," exhibit clear postmodern characteristics.

These figures and movements played crucial roles in shaping the postmodern literary landscape,
characterized by fragmented narratives, playfulness, and a departure from traditional storytelling.

Common themes and techniques:

All of these themes and techniques are often used together. For example, metafiction and pastiche are
often used for irony. These are not used by all postmodernists, nor is this an exclusive list of features.
Irony, playfulness, black humor:

Postmodern fiction is known for its use of irony, playfulness, and black humor. Irony involves a detached and
satirical approach to subject matter, while black humor takes serious topics and treats them humorously.
Playfulness is seen in unconventional language and humorous names. These elements are central to
postmodern literature, allowing authors to address serious themes with a sense of detachment and humor.
Intertextuality:

Intertextuality is a significant concept in postmodern literature, emphasizing the interconnectedness of texts

and their relationships with one another and literary history. Rather than creating isolated works,
postmodern literature often engages with other texts, which can be seen as a lack of originality by some
critics.

Intertextuality in postmodern literature can take various forms, including references to other literary works,
extended discussions about them, or the adoption of particular styles. This may involve referencing fairy
tales, as seen in the works of Margaret Atwood and Donald Barthelme, or drawing from popular genres like
science fiction and detective fiction. intertextuality is a key feature of postmodern literature, highlighting the
interconnectedness of texts and their influence on each other, which is often used to explore complex
themes and ideas.

Pastiche:

Pastiche in postmodern literature means blending elements from different styles or genres to create unique
narratives or comment on contemporary society. It can be both an homage and a parody of past literary
styles. Authors like Burroughs, Atwood, and Eco use pastiche to reflect the complexity of modern life.
Pastiche can also involve unconventional compositional techniques, making postmodern literature rich and
playful.

Pastiche reflects the chaotic and information-rich nature of postmodern society, often combining multiple
genres to create unique narratives or comment on contemporary situations.

Examples of pastiche in postmodern literature include William S. Burroughs' use of science fiction, detective
fiction, and westerns; Margaret Atwood's blending of science fiction and fairy tales.

Metafiction:

Metafiction is a literary technique that draws attention to the act of writing itself or the artificiality of
storytelling. It deliberately breaks the reader's suspension of disbelief and often serves various purposes. It
can undermine the authority of the author, create unexpected narrative shifts, provide emotional distance,
or comment on the process of storytelling.

Examples of metafiction : include Italo Calvino's "If on a winter's night a traveler," where the reader is
reading a novel about someone trying to read a novel of the same name. Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-
Five" begins with the author discussing the process of writing the novel and includes elements like aliens and
time travel, highlighting the artificiality of the story. metafiction is a technique in which authors make the
act of writing and the fictionality of fiction evident to the reader, serving various narrative and thematic
purposes.

Fabulation:

Fabulation is a literary term that shares similarities with metafiction and is often associated with pastiche
and Magic Realism. It stands in opposition to realism by emphasizing that literature is a creative work not
bound by the need to mimic reality. As a result, fabulation challenges traditional literary structures and
narrative conventions. It often incorporates fantastical elements, such as magic and mythology, as well as
elements from popular genres like science fiction.

The term "fabulation" is attributed to Robert Scholes, who wrote about it in his book "The Fabulators." An
example of fabulation in literature is Salman Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories," where imaginative
and fantastical elements play a prominent role in the storytelling.

In summary, fabulation is a literary approach that breaks away from realism, embracing creativity and the
incorporation of fantastical and genre elements to challenge traditional storytelling norms.

Poioumena:

"Poioumena" is a term coined by Alastair Fowler to describe a specific type of metafiction where the story
revolves around the process of creating a literary work. In these narratives, the focus is on the act of writing
itself and the boundaries between fiction and reality are explored. The term is used to describe works that
offer opportunities to investigate the limits of narrative truth. In essence, poioumena explore the process of
literary creation and blur the lines between fiction and reality, making them a distinctive form of metafiction
. Examples include Vladimir Nabokov's "Pale Fire" and Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children," among
others.

Historiographic metafiction:

Historiographic metafiction Linda Hutcheon coined the term "historiographic metafiction" to refer to works
that fictionalize actual historical events or figures; notable examples include The General in His Labyrinth by
Gabriel García Márquez (about Simón Bolívar), Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes (about Gustave Flaubert),
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow (which features such historical figures as Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, Archduke
Franz Ferdinand of Austria, Booker T. Washington, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung), and Rabih Alameddine's
Koolaids: The Art of War which makes references to the Lebanese Civil War and various real life political
figures. Thomas Pynchon's Mason and Dixon also employs this concept; for example, a scene featuring
George Washington smoking marijuana is included. John Fowles deals similarly with the Victorian Period in
The French Lieutenant's Woman. In regards to critical theory, this technique can be related to The Death of
the Author by Roland Barthes

Temporal Distortion:

Temporal distortion is a storytelling technique used in both modern and postmodern literature,
characterized by non-linear narratives and the manipulation of time. In postmodern fiction, temporal
distortion serves various purposes, often contributing to irony or challenging traditional storytelling.

An example of temporal distortion is found in Kurt Vonnegut's novels, where characters like Billy Pilgrim in
"Slaughterhouse-Five" become "unstuck in time," experiencing events out of chronological order. Temporal
distortion can also involve overlapping, repeating, or branching timelines, creating multiple possible events.
In Robert Coover's "The Babysitter," for instance, different versions of events occur simultaneously, with no
single version favored as the correct one

Magic realism:

Magic realism is a literary style characterized by the use of detailed and vividly described images of figures
and objects portrayed in a surrealistic manner. This style often features imaginary and fantastical themes,
giving the narrative a dream-like quality. Key elements of magic realism include the blending of the realistic
and the bizarre, shifts in time, intricate and complex narratives, the use of dreams, myths, and fairy tales,
surreal and expressive descriptions, a sense of surprise or shock, and elements of the inexplicable and the
horrific.
Notable authors associated with magic realism include Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez (especially
his novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude"), and Alejo Carpentier. Postmodern writers like Salman Rushdie
and Italo Calvino also incorporate elements of magic realism into their works.

In essence, magic realism combines the real with the fantastical, creating narratives that blur the line
between reality and imagination, often with a sense of wonder and mystery.

Techno culture and hyper reality:

Postmodernism, as described by Fredric Jameson, is characterized as the "cultural logic of late capitalism,"
marking a shift from the industrial age to the information age. Jean Baudrillard's concept of hyperreality
suggests that postmodernity is defined by simulations replacing reality. This era is marked by information
overload and technology's central role in people's lives. In literature, authors like Don DeLillo and cyberpunk
writers address these themes through irony and pastiche. Steampunk, a subgenre of science fiction,
combines futuristic technology with Victorian culture, reflecting postmodern elements like pastiche and
technoculture.

Paranoia:

In postmodern literature, paranoia is a common theme. It's like when people in stories believe there's a
hidden plan or order in the chaotic world around them. But postmodern writers say this belief is pointless
because they think there's no such hidden plan. This theme often connects with ideas about technology and
the blurring of reality. For example, in a book like "Breakfast of Champions" by Kurt Vonnegut, a character
gets violent because he thinks everyone else is a robot. This shows how looking for order in a messy world
can seem crazy.

Maximalism:

Maximalism in literature refers to big, sprawling novels with complex and fragmented storytelling. Writers
like Dave Eggers are known for this style, which has sparked debates about what a novel should be like.
Postmodernists argue that the style should match the story it tells, and they point to examples from the
past, like Homer's Odyssey, as models for engaging with such works. Some critics, however, find maximalist
novels disorganized and lacking emotional depth. So, it's a style of storytelling that's either celebrated or
criticized for its complexity and size.

Minimalism:

Minimalism in literature means telling a story with as few words as possible. It focuses on surface-level
descriptions and expects readers to actively use their imagination to fill in the gaps. Minimalist stories often
feature ordinary characters in everyday situations. They avoid unnecessary details, adjectives, and adverbs,
allowing readers to create their own mental picture of the story. Samuel Beckett, a postmodernist writer, is
often linked to literary minimalism. So, it's about telling a lot with very few words and letting readers do
some of the work.