Postmodern playfulness in ‘Hag - Seed’
Postmodern playfulness
in ‘Hag-Seed’
Some key postmodern devices,
and analysing the end of the novel
The Postmodern in ‘Hag-Seed’
•
John Berger: “Never again shall a single story be told
as though it were the only one”
•
Unlike modernist literature, the postmodern rejects the
notion of a text’s outright authority over meaning.
Atwood’s ‘Hag-Seed’ can usefully be considered within
a postmodern framework, especially with regard to
what its conversation with ‘The Tempest’ reflects about
textual authority, how meaning is made, and the
purpose and nature of stories through time
•
Consider how Berger’s above quote reflects the
literary conversation between ‘The Tempest’ and ‘Hag-
Seed’ in terms of: ideas, styles, tropes & motifs,
context, and the ‘telling’ of stories through time
Intertextuality
•
‘Hag-Seed’ is an intertextual work at heart.
The difficulty in discerning what is direct
intertextuality, and what we the reader imply,
makes the novel all the more postmodern
•
The arguably novel stands alone as its own
narrative, but when read in the framework of
its conversation with ‘The Tempest’, the
allusions and intertextual
transformations/subversions/diversions, are
everywhere. Indeed, the more we read the
book, the more we discover
Poioumena
•
‘Poioumena’ refers to the use of a meta-fictive
element in a text whereby the story itself becomes
an account of the story being created/told (E.g. a
book about the writing of the book)
•
In ‘Hag-Seed’, there is an element of poioumena
in that the novel is centrally about the process of
creating a play—of telling a story that has already
been told, but which is being re-told for a new
context, and in a very different world
•
This device also has another dimension in the
context of these texts and their common story, for
Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ is often read as a
metaphorical reflection on his own process of
creating plays and telling stories
The hypothetical ‘multiverse’
•
Grmusa (2009) explains how postmodern works
often “resist systematisation, and offer conclusions
that are provisional and hypothetical, always liable
to be overturned by yet another interpretation”
•
Nicol (2009) explains the common use of
“multiverse” in postmodern narrative, where “the
universe is replaced by parallel universes
…
It
suggests that the space of all fiction, not just the
postmodern variety, is ‘virtual reality’
–
and this
has been operational long before computer
technology produced its more limited version
”
The multiverses of the Fletcher ‘Teams’
Felix’s ‘last assignment’ for the Fletcher players is for
Team Ariel, Antonio, Gonzalo, Miranda and Hag-Seed to
present and justify a vision for how these characters’
lives play out after the events of the play.
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Atwood’s multiverse
–
questions/activities
•
Team Ariel’s version of events for Ariel’s character says a lot about how
context
shapes the ways in which stories are told and interpreted. How? Create your own
future for Ariel, and have a peer/s assess how your ‘story-beyond-the-story is a
product of context
•
Team Evil Bro Antonio’s hypothetical future for Antonio is bleak and very
Machiavellian. Research what this means and explain how/why. What is Atwood’s
intention here?
•
‘Team Miranda’ is very much an interjectory chapter, set up almost as a feminist reply
to the patriarchal and Machiavellian narrative that Team Evil Bro Antonio plays out.
Analyse how these chapters hold their own conversation within the novel. With Anne-
Marie’s alternative future for Miranda in mind, consider ‘Hag-Seed’ as a whole from a
feminist perspective
•
Consider how the ‘Team Gonzalo’ and ‘Team Hag-Seed’ chapters also hold a
conversation within the novel. How are these stories products of perspective?
•
The ‘Team Prospero’ chapter effectively comes at the end of the novel, with Atwood’s
portrayal of Felix’s life course post-play. How is Atwood choosing to end her
conversation with Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ in the way that Felix’s life plays out.
By including these many perspectives and alternative futures for the play’s
characters, what is Atwood ultimately paying homage to?
Analyzing the use of postmodern devices and the end of the novel in Hag-Seed, with a focus on intertextuality, poioumena, and the hypothetical multiverse.
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Presentation Transcript
Postmodern playfulness in Hag-Seed Some key postmodern devices, and analysing the end of the novel
The Postmodern in Hag-Seed John Berger: Never again shall a single story be told as though it were the only one Unlike modernist literature, the postmodern rejects the notion of a text s outright authority over meaning. Atwood s Hag-Seed can usefully be considered within a postmodern framework, especially with regard to what its conversation with The Tempest reflects about textual authority, how meaning is made, and the purpose and nature of stories through time Consider how Berger s above quote reflects the literary conversation between The Tempest and Hag- Seed in terms of: ideas, styles, tropes & motifs, context, and the telling of stories through time
Intertextuality Hag-Seed is an intertextual work at heart. The difficulty in discerning what is direct intertextuality, and what we the reader imply, makes the novel all the more postmodern The arguably novel stands alone as its own narrative, but when read in the framework of its conversation with The Tempest , the allusions and intertextual transformations/subversions/diversions, are everywhere. Indeed, the more we read the book, the more we discover
Poioumena Poioumena refers to the use of a meta-fictive element in a text whereby the story itself becomes an account of the story being created/told (E.g. a book about the writing of the book) In Hag-Seed , there is an element of poioumena in that the novel is centrally about the process of creating a play of telling a story that has already been told, but which is being re-told for a new context, and in a very different world This device also has another dimension in the context of these texts and their common story, for Shakespeare s The Tempest is often read as a metaphorical reflection on his own process of creating plays and telling stories
The hypothetical multiverse Grmusa (2009) explains how postmodern works often resist systematisation, and offer conclusions that are provisional and hypothetical, always liable to be overturned by yet another interpretation Nicol (2009) explains the common use of multiverse in postmodern narrative, where the universe is replaced by parallel universes It suggests that the space of all fiction, not just the postmodern variety, is virtual reality and this has been operational long before computer technology produced its more limited version
The multiverses of the Fletcher Teams Felix s last assignment for the Fletcher players is for Team Ariel, Antonio, Gonzalo, Miranda and Hag-Seed to present and justify a vision for how these characters lives play out after the events of the play. This imaginative rendering of stories-beyond-the-play creates a multiverse of hypothetical narratives that frame the characters lives (beyond the play) in enlightening but also inevitably limited ways. There is much to be said for how these multiverses reflect the trappings of perspective yet the paradoxical freeing power of the storytelling mind, as well as for how they converse and interact in their own fictional universe.
Atwoods multiverse questions/activities Team Ariel s version of events for Ariel s character says a lot about how context shapes the ways in which stories are told and interpreted. How? Create your own future for Ariel, and have a peer/s assess how your story-beyond-the-story is a product of context Team Evil Bro Antonio s hypothetical future for Antonio is bleak and very Machiavellian. Research what this means and explain how/why. What is Atwood s intention here? Team Miranda is very much an interjectory chapter, set up almost as a feminist reply to the patriarchal and Machiavellian narrative that Team Evil Bro Antonio plays out. Analyse how these chapters hold their own conversation within the novel. With Anne- Marie s alternative future for Miranda in mind, consider Hag-Seed as a whole from a feminist perspective Consider how the Team Gonzalo and Team Hag-Seed chapters also hold a conversation within the novel. How are these stories products of perspective? The Team Prospero chapter effectively comes at the end of the novel, with Atwood s portrayal of Felix s life course post-play. How is Atwood choosing to end her conversation with Shakespeare s The Tempest in the way that Felix s life plays out. By including these many perspectives and alternative futures for the play s characters, what is Atwood ultimately paying homage to?
