THEMES OF POST MODERNISM
Critique of Grand Narratives
Postmodernists challenge the idea of grand narratives, which are overarching theories
or stories that attempt to explain history, humanity, and knowledge. They argue that
these narratives are often exclusionary and serve to justify the power of certain groups.
In Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, the grand narrative of Indian independence
is challenged by the magical realist story of Saleem Sinai, a man born at the exact
moment of India's independence and endowed with fantastical powers. This suggests
that history is not a linear progression but a messy, subjective experience.
“India, the new myth--a collective fiction in which anything was possible, a fable
rivalled only by the two other mighty fantasies: money and God.”
― Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children
Fragmentation and Disunity
Postmodernists believe that there is no single, unified truth or reality. They view the
world as fragmented and constantly changing, and knowledge as subjective and
contingent.
In Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler, the reader keeps starting a new
novel but finds it replaced by another story entirely. This fragmented structure reflects
the postmodern idea that there is no single, unified truth or reality, and that experience
is fragmented and open to multiple interpretations.
“Reading is going toward something that is about to be, and no one yet knows
what it will be.”
― Italo Calvino, If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler
Language and Representation
Postmodernists emphasize the role of language in shaping our understanding of the
world. They argue that language is not a transparent medium that reflects reality, but
rather a system of signs that creates its own meaning.
In Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire, an unreliable narrator presents a poem and then
proceeds to analyze it in a rambling and contradictory way. This highlights the
limitations of language and the subjective nature of interpretation.
“All religions are based on obsolete terminology.”
Nabokov challenges the fixed nature of religious language, suggesting that it is subject
to change and interpretation over time, reflecting the postmodernist skepticism towards
grand narratives.
Deconstruction
Deconstruction is a philosophical method that involves analyzing texts to reveal the
underlying assumptions, contradictions, and power structures that they embody.
Postmodernists use deconstruction to challenge traditional ways of thinking and to show
that meaning is not fixed or inherent, but rather constructed through language and
interpretation.
In Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, a series of murders takes place in a
medieval monastery. As Brother William investigates, he uncovers hidden meanings in
manuscripts and exposes the power struggles within the monastery. This reflects the
deconstructive approach of analyzing texts to reveal hidden meanings and power
structures.
"Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to enquiry". From
Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.
This challenges the traditional view of books as authoritative sources of truth by
suggesting that they should be interrogated and analyzed rather than blindly accepted.
It reflects the postmodern idea that meaning is constructed through interpretation and
that texts contain underlying assumptions and power structures that need to be
uncovered and examined.
Simulacra and Hyperreality
Simulacra are copies or representations that lack an original. Hyperreality is a condition
in which simulations become more real than reality itself. Postmodernists argue that we
live in a world saturated with simulacra and hyperreality, where the distinction between
the real and the artificial has become blurred.
In Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the line between humans
and replicants (artificial humans) becomes increasingly blurred. This raises questions
about the nature of reality in a world saturated with simulations and artificial
experiences.
“Silence…it assailed not only his ears but his eyes; as he stood by the inert TV
set he experienced the silence as visible and, in its own way, alive. Alive!...The
silence of the world could not rein back its greed. Not any longer. Not when it had
virtually won.”
― Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Identity and Difference
Postmodernists challenge the idea of a unified, essential self. They argue that identity is
fluid and constantly changing, and that it is shaped by social, cultural, and historical
forces. They also celebrate diversity and difference, and challenge dominant narratives
about race, gender, sexuality, and class.
In Toni Morrison's Beloved, the formerly enslaved protagonist Sethe struggles with a
fragmented identity shaped by the trauma of slavery.
“Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was
another.”
― Toni Morrison, Beloved
The novel challenges traditional notions of race and identity, and celebrates the
resilience of the African American experience.
