POSTMODERNISM:
LEARNING TARGET: I can
summarize the main tenets of
literature from Post-Modernism
(Contemporary)
REMEMBER: What is Modernism?
 Modernism reflects a loss of faith in traditional
values and beliefs, including the American
Dream.
 Artistic/literary movement
 Post World-War One
 Pessimistic picture of culture in disarray
 Modern poets goal = rid poetry of 19th
century prettiness & sentimentality
 Rejected 19th century optimism
 6 Qualities: instability, futility, chaos, loss of faith, collapse
of morality, disillusionment
Where did modernism
develop?
-Europe
-Modernists believed that the lives of people would
improve thanks to science and a world based
on logic.
It began as a time of optimism leading up to 1914
when WWI began
The turning point from modernism to
postmodernism…
The terrible bloodshed of the First World War sowed
seeds of doubt as to whether the world was
becoming a better place.
The fact that science was turned to creating weapons
of mass destruction and killing on an industrial scale
as a trademark of the war (WWII), a wave of
pessimism swept across Europe.
2 compounding factors that became the turning point:
Holocaust and Atomic Bomb
The birth of post-modernism
This idea of a
-loss in the goodness of people and
-a suspicion of science and
-a suspicion of a world of logic and
order
compounded by two main events of
the Second World War…
The Holocaust
The dropping of Atomic bombs on Japanese cities.
So.. what is postmodernism?
-Postmodern texts embody
scepticism towards the ideas and
ideals of the modern era,
especially the ideas of progress,
objectivity, reason certainty,
personal identity.
Modernism Vs. Post Modernism
 Think post WWI (1914-
1918) around time of
Prohibition, Roaring
20’s
 Modernists believe that
people were capable
of original thought.
 Modernists believed
that a work of art
bears a universal truth
or meaning.
Think beginning in mid
WWII (1939-1945) and
continued on through late
1900’s
Post-modernists believe
that the majority of the world
bases its views on what is
presented to them through
the media – this is called
“hyper-reality” – a reality
created through media.
How do these songs embody postmodernism?
Post-modernists believe
“American Pie” 1971
that works of art are open to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAsV5-Hv-7U
many different
“Born in the USA” 1981
interpretations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuJUq58VQXQ
How do these songs
embody postmodernism?
“American Pie” 1971
“Miss American Pie” = She is the America of a passing era, and
he is bidding her farewell.
The narrator here is nostalgic for a simpler and more
optimistic kind of music—a music that can make people
smile, and that could help them forget their troubles.
“Born in the USA” 1981
The song was in part a tribute to Springsteen's friends who
had experienced the Vietnam War (1954-1975), some of
whom did not come back; it also protests the hardships
Vietnam veterans faced upon their return from the war.
Some definitions.
 Hyperreality - a hypothetical inability of consciousness
to distinguish reality from fantasy, especially in
technologically advanced postmodern cultures.
 A parody; also called send-up , spoof or lampoon), in
contemporary usage, is a work created to mock,
comment on, or make fun at an original work.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_DwMLUh1YQ
0-:50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze9xAIqZszw
0-:52
 A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre that is a
"hodge-podge" or an imitation.
As we read “Harrison
Bergeron,” underline any
qualities that call in to
question the individual,
society, the media etc.
(qualities of postmodernism
literature)
How is this short story a
critique of the following
terms?:
 SOCIETY
 MEDIA
 GOVERNMENT
 HUMAN NATURE
“Harrison Bergeron” Reading Questions
 What is the state of U.S. society as described in the first paragraph
of the story? How has “equality” been achieved?
 Consider the characters of Hazel and George. Why isn’t Hazel
handicapped? How does George seem to feel about his
handicaps?
 Consider the character of Harrison in terms of both his physical
qualities and personality traits. Why is he considered a threat to
society?
 What is the significance of the dance that Harrison performs with
the ballerina? How does the style in which the story is written
change in this passage?
 How do Hazel and George react to the televised murder of their
son?
 What do you consider to be Vonnegut’s message (there are
multiple) in this story? What leads you to this conclusion?
“Harrison Bergeron” …
 is representative of postmodernism in that is
somewhat darkly comedic, has a fragmented
storyline (with the thought interrupters), is full of
sarcasm and irony, and is set in a distant
dystopian technologically advanced future. It
also represents a loss of faith in society and in
humanity in general.
Thursday, April
 Read “The Lottery”
 As you read, underline any qualities that call in to question the
individual, society, the media etc.
 Complete a SOAPSTONE
 Come to class having taken notes on how the story is a critique on
these terms:
 SOCIETY
 MEDIA
 GOVERNMENT
 HUMAN NATURE
Be ready to share your answers with the class.