Late 20th century till today.

Fragmented reality.1.

Meaninglessness - Post-modernism does not see the fragmented reality as necessarily bad but comments on its meaninglessness and plays with it.

2.

No correct interpretation - The writers focuses on expression without content, which means that the writer puts up scenario which the reader is free to interpret in whatever way he wants to.

3.

Playing with new forms/fusion of styles/complexity - Post-modern literature is very experimental and every story is very different from the other.

4.

The use of paradox.5.

The use of questionable narrators - the use of narrators who are not to be trusted.6.

Everyday situation (social reality but often distorted) - It's highly influenced by social realism.7.

No unnecessary information (minimalism) - The novels are typically without any unnecessary information such as names, occupation, description of setting or supporting characters.

8.

No classical metaphors.9.

Intertextuality - they make use of intertextuality instead of classical metaphors when they want to make a point. This is ex done by imitating characteristics of earlier periods, mostly to make a parody of them. It's important to the writer that the reader realizes that it's actually a parody.

10.

It's based on the idea that texts never really stand isolated but tend to relate to one another.

Pastiche - Some writers uses pastiche which means to combine or glue together various elements. It can be used as a celebration or a parody of former styles. It can also be a combination of multiple genres which are used to create an unique narrative.

11.

Metafiction - Metafiction is a way of commenting on the writing process and it creates an emotional distance to the reader thereby undermining the authority of the author.

12.

Historiographic metafiction is another form where historical events or figures are used directly in the story or are being fictionalized.

Meaningless bureaucracy, consumerism.13.

The individual perspective of everything - Truth is relative; it's up to you to decide what truth is, so anything goes. 14.

Sceptical about nationalism, capitalism and religion - Post-modernists are sceptical about traditional categorizations such as nationalism, capitalism and religion. They would prefer a non-political community with individual freedom and equalityfor everybody.

15.

Uncertainty disillusionment - For some writers the reality may seem distorted and full of distrust (ex from the mass media and tabloid press).

16.

Go from national to global - The world has turned into a huge melting pot of encountering cultures. 'Progress' has moved from being something positive and necessary into being something negative and annoying.

17.

Being flexible (several identities) - In post-modern society people are less likely to be employed in the same job for many years.

18.

Family pattern has changed - The characteristics are uncertainty, insecurity and doubt, reflected in instability and increasing divorce rates and what seems to be the end of the traditional nuclear family.

19.

The new family pattern may take many shapes: The single-parent family, surrogate-mothers, gay and lesbian families,

Postmodern features:

Postmodernism4. maj 2015 13:38

English side 1

The new family pattern may take many shapes: The single-parent family, surrogate-mothers, gay and lesbian families, brought-together families as well as the traditional nuclear family.

The playfulness of black humour - It's a major characteristic of Post-modern writers, whereas Modernist writers had a more pessimistic outlook in life.

20.

The boundary between home and work - The division between being at work and at home has become blurred as more and more people work at home during the week - 'flexicurity'.

21.

All this characteristics makes the stories very subjective.

Post-Colonial literature is an important trend in Post-Modern literature as it deals with the theme of de-colonization and the influence of this on people from the former colonies.

-

Other issues dealt with in Post-Colonial literature are those of racism and immigration.-Salman Rushdie.-Hanif Kureishi.-Monica Ali.-Zadie Smith.-

Post-Colonial Writers:

English side 2