GLESSIE ANN S.

BARBA November 19, 2022

ENG-404 The English Short Story

Postmodernism came to prominence in the second half of the twentieth century. As the
name suggests, postmodernism developed out of modernism: it came after modernism, both in
the sense that it chronologically followed it, and in the sense of extending, and to some extent
critiquing, the aims and attitudes of modernism. Characteristics of postmodern fiction tend to
include: ‘breaking the fourth wall (i.e., reminding us that what we are reading is nothing more
than a fictional construct, a story invented by a writer, rather than real life); an interest
in metafiction (stories about stories, or about storytelling); and a playful attitude to language
and the techniques of storytelling.

For example, the short story Don Quixote was originally written as a parody of the
chivalric romances that were popular at the time of its publication, in the early 1600s. It
realistically describes what happens to an aging knight who has been misled by the romances
he has read; the titular Don Quixote sets out on his old horse to seek adventure, along with his
squire Sancho Panza. It is considered a prototype of the modern novel in part because its
author, Miguel De Cervantes, gave voice to a vibrant assortment of characters with diverse
beliefs and perspectives. 

Moreover, postmodernism rejects concepts of rationality, objectivity, and universal

truth. Instead, it emphasizes the diversity of human experience and the multiplicity of
perspectives. Postmodernism asserts that truth is not mirrored in human understanding of it,
but is rather constructed as the mind tries to understand its reality. So, facts and falsehood are
interchangeable. For example, in classical works such as King Oedipus, there is only one truth:
"obey your fate”.

According to Belin A. (2020) Identifying important concepts in the short story such as
the main conflict helps with creating the primary argument for the thesis statement, the
characters’ personalities, their defining traits, the choices they make, and also the point of view
of the narrator. The point of view is an important aspect of the storyline as it creates a lens for
the reader to understand and analyze themes, details, characters, and important events in the
story.

Short story analysis is an in-depth examination of the literary elements within a short
story to determine the theme, and author's intent, or find further context for the narrative. This
means students must look at various elements like mood, tone, diction, setting, and theme.
Writing a quality analysis for short stories requires a solid thought process, an organized
structure, and the ability to deep-dive into the literary meaning of a text.