Exploring Postmodernism: Literature, Poetry, and Nonfiction in the Contemporary Era
Delve into the Postmodern era from 1939 to the present, characterized by a blend of fiction and non-fiction, diverse narratives, and challenging traditional literary structures. Postmodern literature allows for multiple interpretations, blending different worlds and forms. Postmodern poetry, exemplified by the Beat Generation, features alternative expression through jazz performances and confessional themes. Nonfiction experiments with form, blending real-life stories with fictional elements to create vivid characters and maintain suspense. Explore the breaking point of societal injustice, civil rights, and the human psyche on the brink of chaos and change.
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Presentation Transcript
The Contemporaries Postmodernism 1939-Present
Background Historical, Political, Social Wars: WWII, Cold War, Korean, Vietnam Atomic bomb Nuremburg Trials Anti-communist sentiment Red Scare McCarthyism Space Race Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther King Jr. Little Rock Nine JFK assassinated Tension with Middle East Iranian Hostage Crisis 9/11
Characteristics of Postmodern Literature Allows for multiple meanings and multiple worlds Literal, figurative, dreamlike worlds Nontraditional forms and structure Narrator and characters may tell different versions Plot does not always follow a linear form Comments on itself Comment, criticize, and contradict itself which encourages readers to make their own interpretations Intensely personal Cultural diversity Blends fiction and non-fiction Uses the past fearlessly
Postmodern Poetry Beat Generation Beatniks Alternative forms Poetry slams Jazz performances Late night coffee houses Anti-conformity (new attitudes and voices) Confessional School of Poetry Blunt and personal poems about the poet s private life
Bowery Blues Jack Kerouac The story of man Makes me sick Inside, outside, I don't know why Something so conditional And all talk Should hurt me so. For no Church told me No Guru holds me No advice Just stone Of New York And on the cafeteria We hear The saxophone O dead Ruby Died of Shot In Thirty Two, Sounding like old times And de bombed Empty decapitated Murder by the clock. I am hurt I am scared I want to live I want to die I don't know Where to turn In the Void And when To cut Out Okay. Quit. Mad. Stop.
Nonfiction Experiment with form Blend nonfiction with fictional elements Vivid characters Suspense Style/Tone
The Breaking Point: On the cusp of death, sanity, and injustice Social Injustice Civil Rights Sanity I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, Allen Ginsberg Pressure Relationships Mental Health Death Success/Failure
