Postmodernism deconstructed literary norms from "summary" of A Short History of English Literature by Benjamin Ifor Evans
Postmodernism emerged as a literary movement that sought to challenge traditional literary norms. It questioned the conventional structures and forms of literature that had been in place for centuries. Postmodernist writers rejected the idea of a single, objective truth, instead embracing subjectivity and multiple perspectives. They believed that there was no one "correct" way to write or interpret a text, leading to a fragmentation of language and narrative. Postmodernist literature often featured metafiction, a technique in which the text calls attention to its own artifice and challenges the reader's assumptions about reality. This self-referential approach highlights the constructed nature of narrative and blurs the lines between fiction and reality. Writers like Italo Calvino and Salman Rushdie played with storytelling conventions, creating worlds that were both fantastical and reflective of the complexities of contemporary society. In addition to metafiction, postmodernist literature also incorporated elements of pastiche and bricolage. Pastiche involves borrowing from different genres, styles, and sources to create a new, often ironic, work. Bricolage, on the other hand, involves the use of various materials and techniques to construct a text that is intentionally fragmented and disjointed. These techniques reflect the postmodernist belief in the fluidity of language and the impossibility of achieving a singular, coherent narrative. Furthermore, postmodernist writers often challenged the idea of authorship and originality. They embraced intertextuality, the notion that all texts are interconnected and influenced by other texts. By drawing on a wide range of sources and references, postmodernist writers created texts that were rich in allusions and references, inviting readers to engage with the text on multiple levels. This intertextual approach also emphasized the collaborative nature of storytelling, blurring the boundaries between writer and reader.- Postmodernism deconstructed literary norms by challenging traditional structures, embracing subjectivity and multiple perspectives, incorporating metafiction, pastiche, and bricolage, questioning authorship and originality, and emphasizing intertextuality. This literary movement paved the way for a new era of experimentation and innovation in literature, inviting readers to reconsider their assumptions about storytelling and the nature of reality.
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