Postmodernism

Key developments
Postmodernism is largely a reaction against the intellectual assumptions and values of the modern period in the history of Western
philosophy (the 17th through the 19th century).

An exact date for the establishment of Post-modernism is elusive, it may be said to have begun in the post-World War II era.

Postmodernism took full flight in the 1960s in the face of global social and political unrest (military conflicts, assassinations, protests – full
timeline avaliable here )

It might be characterised by skepticism toward the „grand narratives” (metanarratives)

Postmodernism and critical theory commonly criticize universalist ideas of objective reality, morality, truth, human nature, reason,
language, and social progress

Claims to objectivity are dismissed as naïve, instead the role of ideology in maintaining political power is the main focus

The meaning is inherently unstable and constructed by particular historical, political, and cultural discourses
 Metafiction
Fiction in which the author self-consciously alludes to the artificiality or literariness of a work,
thus continually reminding the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work.

Metafiction breaks the fourth wall - the writer, narrator or character directly addresses the audience,
so the border between fiction and reality is blurred.

The writer or narrator questions the narrative of the story or elements of the story being told.

The fictional characters express awareness that they are part of a fictional narrative.

Metafiction often allows characters to self-reflect and question what is happening to them. As it
happens in Jane Austen’s Persuasion adapted by Netflix – click here 
Black humour, Irony & Playfulness
Black (or dark) humor is
one way which postmodern
fiction deals with the
depressing complexities of
postmodern life.
Black humor can be
defined as a type of humor
that involves topics that are
normally considered
‘taboo’, meaning for
instance too painful, sad, or
embarrassing to discuss,
such as WW2, abortion, or
violence.

Irony is another way to deal

with modern life which is
frequently used in
Irony is well suited for
postmodern texts. It can be
pointing out the absurdities
defined as a situation where
of postmodern life and
there is a clash between
human behavior
expectations and
reality/truth, often
humorous.
 w

The speaker in Larkin’s poem expresses the idea that parents put a lot of
emotional weight on their children, which may not be intentional, but stems
from their own emotional baggage. The parents were also given this
emotional trauma by their own parents. Thus, the misery humanity
experiences is a cycle that expands continuously.
 Pastiche & Intertextuality
• Related to postmodern intertextuality,
pastiche means to combine, or "paste"
together, multiple elements.
• In Postmodernist art this can be a homage
to or a parody of past styles.
• E.g. Fan fiction is a type of pastiche in
which writers expand upon the worlds and
stories created in popular literary works.
 Technoculture, Hyperreality & Paranoia

• Society has moved past the industrial age and

into the information age where people are
inundated with information
• The sense of paranoia, the belief that there's
an ordering system behind the chaos of the
world is another recurring postmodern theme
• Technology has become a central focus in
many lives, and one's understanding of the
real is mediated by simulations of the real
• A simulacrum - a representation or imitation
of a person or thing.