Transcript Postmodern background notes

Postmodern/ Contemporary
Literature
Origins of the Era
 Atomic
bomb—1945
 Aftermath
 Increasing
of WW II
technology
Atomic Anxiety
 Created
 Cold
fear/ panic
War
 Bomb
shelters
Effects
 Gallows
Humor:
 Ironic humor/ dark humor
 DISILLUSIONMENT
CYNICISM!
and
Increased Disillusionment/
Disconnect

Vietnam

Watergate

Me Generation

Generation X

Generation Y/ Me2/ i
Impact of Technology

Rapid development in science and
technology has impacted
entertainment
 communication
 information
 global issues


***the individual person often seems lost in
the fast-paced, computerized world
Postmodern Fiction

Diversity of voices

Multiple meanings and
interpretations
Nontraditional forms
 Works comment upon
themselves, criticize
themselves

Postmodern Nonfiction

Blends elements of fiction with nonfiction


Irony, foreshadowing, characterization, etc.
The New Journalism:
Adds personal elements
 Literary devices

Postmodern Poetry

Rejection of modern poetry—too
impersonal/ complicated

New poetry is personal and accessible

The Beat Generation
 Kerouac

and Ginsberg
Confessional Poets
 Plath
and Sexton