Some Characteristics of Post-Modern Literature
1. An emphasis on impressionism, abstraction and subjectivity; an emphasis on the
language or the paint itself (form, shape, mood, etc).
2. Manipulation of point of view (perspectivism), especially away from third-person
omniscient to first-person, second-person, or often multiple points of view.
3. Genre blurring (poetry, fiction, memoir, mystery) and experimental forms (such
as a short story in the form of a multiple choice quiz, an instruction manual, a
coroner's report, or a Craig's List posting).
4. Manipulation (or complete obliteration of) traditional story arc; emphasis on
fragmentation, digression, altered narratives, collage, mosaic, and stream of
consciousness.
5. Self-Consciousness (Post-Modernist). The writer calls attention to the fact that he
or she is writing a story; mega-narrative intrusion. This is often called Metafiction.
6. More epiphanies. (Epistemology).Meaning moves inward; stories are resolved by
flashes of character insight rather than firm conclusions or transformations.
7. Subtler, more ambiguous endings, sometimes speculative (maybe), sometimes
even ambiguous (for a purpose).
8. Subverting expectations. One of the main artistic purposes of Post-Modern
writers is to subvert the traditional expectations of traditional readers and
challenge them to see the world in new ways.
9. Irony and parody. There is a tendency of postmodern artists, theorists, and
culture to be playful or parodic.
10. Retro. Postmodernists and postmodern culture tend to be especially fascinated
with styles and fashions from the past, which they will often use completely out of
their original context.
11. A questioning of Grand Narratives. The “natural” is challenged as “constructed.”
Questions about the nature of meaning are often addressed.