Postmodernism

PostModernism Origin
• The term Post modernism first used in 1917 by German philosopher Rudoff
Pannwitz to describe Nihilism of twenty century western culture.

• The primary feature of post modernism include the ironic play with styles,
citations and narrative levels, a metaphysical skepticism or nihilism towards
a grand narrative of western culture.

• Post- modernism in 19770 is linked with philosophical movement Post

Structuralism in which philosopher such as Jacques Derrida proposed that
structure within a culture were artificial and could be deconstructed in order
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Postmodernism poetry

● Postmodernism means number of trends or movements in the

arts and the literature developing in the 1970s.
● The term was first used around the 1870s in various areas.
● For Example: John Watkins Chapman avowed “a postmodern
style of painting” to get beyond French Impressionism. Then
J.M Thompson, used the term postmodernism to describe
changes in attitudes and beliefs in the critique of religion.

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● Postmodernism is literature characterised by heavy reliance on
techniques like fragmentation, paradox and questionable
narrators and often is defined as a style or trend which emerged
in the post World War II Era.
● Postmodern works are seen as a reaction against Enlightenment
thinking and Modernist approaches to literature.
● Postmodernism is commonly defined in relation to a precursor.

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Features of Postmodernism
● Relativism- It is the position where one has left the belief in
absolute truth and instead embraced the idea that knowledge
dependent on one’s perspective.
● No Grand Narrative- This is the another feature which depicts
postmodernism.
● Rejection of the ultimate faith in science- Postmodernists deny
this enlightenment faith in science and technology as instruments
of human progress.
● Golbalization or Multiculturalism - Because of golbalization,
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● Self reflexivity- Postmodernists tend to take this even further
than the modernists but in a way that tends often to be more
playful, even irreverant
● Irony and Parody- Connected to the former point, is the
tendency of postmodern artists, theorists, and culture to be
playful or parodic.
● Retro- Postmodernists and postmodern culture tend to be
especially fascinated with styles and fashions from the past,
which they will often use completely out of their original
context.
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● Intertextuality- Intertextuality in postmodern literature can be a reference or
parallel to another literary work, an extended discussion of a work or the
adoption of a style. In postmodern literature this manifests as references to
fairy tales.
● Pastiche- In post modernist literature this can be an homage to or a parody of
past styles. It can be a combination of multiple genres to create a unique
narrative or to comment on situations in postmodernity.
● Fabulation- It is a rejection of realism which embraces the notion that
literature is a created work and not bound by notions of mimesis and
verisimilitude.
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Notable Influences

● Late 19th and early 20th century playwrights whose

work influenced the aesthetics of postmodernism
include August Strindberg,Luigi Pirandello, and
Bertolt Brecht.
● Another precursor to postmodernism was Dadaism,
which challenged the authority of the artist and
highlighted elements of chance, whim, parody, and
irony.
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Seamus Heaney
• Born in Catholic family in April 13,1939, Northern Ireland.

• At school he was aware of the religious and cultural division of

Ulster.

• He was graduated in English language and literature at St.Joseph

college in Belfast in 1961.

• He taught at Harvard University and Oxford professor of Poetry.

• He married Marie Devlin, a school teacher.

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• In 1966 Faber and Faber published Death of a Naturalist his first major
volume. This collection met with much critical acclaim also won many
awards.

• In 1969, he published second major volume, Door into the Dark.

• In 1972, he published Wintering out.

• In 1975 North and a pamphlet of prose entitled stations.

• Selected Poems(1965-978) in year 1980.

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• The Spirit Level 1996 has won Whitbread Book of the year award.

• Beowulf: A new verse translation (1999)

• Human chain his 12th collection published in 2010 won Forward

Poetry Prize for best Collection.

• In September 2015, his family posthumously publish his translation

of book VI of The Aeneid in 2016.

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• He also wrote several volumes of criticism

• The Redress of Poetry and Beowulf a translated work, won

Whitbread Book of the year award.

• In June 2012, he was awarded Lifetime Recognition Award from

the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry.

• In 1995, he received the Nobel prize in Literature.

• He passed away on 2013 at the age of 74.

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 Works
• Death of a Naturalist 1966
• Digging 1966
• Big poems 1975*
• Station island 1984
• The Haw Lantern 1987
• Seeing things 1991
• The Spirit Level 1996
Prizes
• Eric Gregory Award 1966
• E M Forster Award 1975
• Nobel prize in Literature
1995
• Irish PEN award 2005
• Bob Hughes Lifetime
Achievement Award 2011
• Griffin poetry Prize 2012
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Digging
● The poem expresses the speaker’s sentiments for his ancestor’s
tradition.
● Digging shows the changing face of Ireland, from a rural
country to a modern industrial country which plays a role in
identifies Heaney’s identify as a poet.
● Shift- Subject change: father to grandfather
● Shows deep roots
● Tense change: Present to past shows that it is a memory

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 Nissism Ezekiel
• An Indian Jewish poet, playwright, editor and art critic
• He’s Father of post- independence Indian verse in English.
• He was born in December 1924, Mumbai. He lived in a Marathi
speaking Jewish community – “Bene Israel”.
• His father taught Botany at Wilson College and his mother principal at
a school.
• Graduated first degree at 1947 BA Honours.
• 1948 moved to England and studies philosophy in London. He stayed
for three and half years until working his way home on a ship. He
worked in ship during his return.
• He joined the literary scene in India after his return.

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• He became an assistant editor for Illustrated Weekly in 1953.
• He founded a monthly literally magazine
• He became an art critic for Times of India.
• He published poetry and plays
• He was professor of English.
• He became Secretary of Indian branch of International writer’s
organisation, PEN.
Award:
• He received Padma Shri award, India’s Honor for civilian in 1988.
• Sahitya Akademi cultural award in 1983.

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• His first collection of poetry, A Time to Change, published when he was at
28, it’s a turning point in post colonial Indian literature towards
modernism, he talked about his experience in London.
• As soon as he came from London, he became an assistant editor for
Illustrated Weekly in India, 1953.
• He founded a monthly literally magazine. Imprint in 1961. He wrote for
many newspaper and magazine.
• He became an art critic for Times of India.
• Then he travel to work as professor in America, thought he enjoyed there,
his mind would always be in Mumbai and he felt isolated.
• He saw many corruption in his country and he tries to highlight the
problem so that something might be done and by 1970’s his motivation had
wanted and he realised nothing could be done, he accepted “the
ordinariness of most events”.
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 Works:
• Time to Change
• Sixty poems
• The third
• The Unfinished Man
• The Exact Name
• Hymns In Darkness
• The Night if Scorpion
• The patriot
• Poet, Lover, Birdwatchers
• Background casually
• Jewish Wedding in Bombay.
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BackGround Casually

A poet-rascal-clown was born,

The frightened child who would not eat
Or sleep, a boy of meager bone.
He never learned to fly a kite,
His borrowed top refused to spin.
I went to Roman Catholic school,
A mugging Jew among the wolves.
They told me I had killed the Christ,
That year I won the scripture prize.
A Muslim sportsman boxed my ears.
I grew in terror of the strong
But undernourished Hindu lads,
Their prepositions always wrong,
Repelled me by passivity.
One noisy day I used a knife.
At home on Friday nights the prayers
Were said. My morals had declined.
I heard of Yoga and of Zen.
Could I, perhaps, be rabbi saint?
The more I searched, the less I found.
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Twenty two: time to go abroad.
First, the decision, then a friend
To pay the fare. Philosophy,
Poverty and Poetry, three
Companions shared my basement room.
The London seasons passed me by.
I lay in bed two years alone,
And then a Woman came to tell
My willing ears I was the Son
Of Man. I knew that I had failed
In everything, a bitter thought.
So, in an English cargo ship
Taking French guns and mortar shells
To Indo China, scrubbed the decks,
And learned to laugh again at home.
How to feel it home, was the point.
Some reading had been done, but what
Had I observed, except my own
Exasperation? All Hindus are
Like that, my father used to say,
When someone talked too loudly, or
Knocked at the door like the Devil.
They hawked and spat. They sprawled around.
I prepared for the worst. Married,
Changed jobs, and saw myself a fool.
The song of my experience sung,
I knew that all was yet to sing.
My ancestors, among the castes,
Were aliens crushing seed for bread 20
(The hooded bullock made his rounds).
One among them fought and taught,
A Major bearing British arms.
He told my father sad stories
Of the Boer War. I dreamed that
Fierce men had bound my feet and hands.
The later dreams were all of words.
I did not know that words betray
But let the poems come, and lost
That grip on things the worldly prize.
I would not suffer that again.
I look about me now, and try
To formulate a plainer view:
The wise survive and serve–to play
The fool, to cash in on
The inner and the outer storms.
The Indian landscape sears my eyes.
I have become a part of it
To be observed by foreigners.
They say that I am singular,
Their letters overstate the case.
I have made my commitments now.
This is one: to stay where I am,
As others choose to give themselves
In some remote and backward place.
My backward place is where I am.

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• This poem is struggle of the poet for identity in a country where he
as well as his community (Jews) is considered to an alien.
• The poem divided into 3 sections Childhood of poet, adult age of
poet, Old age of poet.
● The ironic tone that swings between whipping the self and the
society around it is also on abundant display in this poem.
• Some motifs are a set of experience stated as providing deep insight,
probing the question of identity in a firm social context. Use of
unrhymed metrical lines , finding satisfaction in limited ambition.
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Section 1 :
• Poet was born in alien community, he couldn’t eat or sleep be
became week. He was sent to Roman catholic school and was
bullied by other community students. He was in rage and one night
he heard a prayers that made him believe that he could become a
saint/ rabbis /Zen.
Section 2:
• One of his friend paid for his higher studies as his family has poor
financial status, he went to England. He was alone accompanied
with poverty, poetry and philosophy. He return to India working in
Cargo ship.
• After return he tries to be happy but still felt an alienation. He then
married and even changed his job. Then he realised al was waste of
time. He started writing poems and expressed how low their
community was.
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Section 3:
• He expressed his experience as old man. He taught writing poetry is not safe
even it can harm a person. He tries to write wisely, gave up his sufferings. He
says now he has become an integral part of India.
• The foreigners consider him to be an alien in India, but he came to an
conclusion that he will consider himself as an Indian, and he should stay in
India till the end.
Themes:
• Alienation, Isolation, Identity crisis, Existentialism, religion, race and
culture.

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Thank you

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