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# Postmodernism Postmodernism, in contemporary Western philosophy, is a late 20th-century movement characterized by: * broad skepticism * subjectivism * relativism * a general suspicion of reason * an acute sensitivity to ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power. ## Key...

# Postmodernism Postmodernism, in contemporary Western philosophy, is a late 20th-century movement characterized by: * broad skepticism * subjectivism * relativism * a general suspicion of reason * an acute sensitivity to ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power. ## Key Events and/or Movements Postmodernism embraced complexity, contradiction and multiple layers of meaning in art, literature and philosophy. * Postmodernism has resisted the idea of 'grand narratives' which are positioned as a universal truth. * Postmodernism challenges The Enlightenment confidence in human reason and views truth as something that is created/constructed by human beings, rather than something discovered that is, in some sense, already out there. ## Influential Authors and their Notable Works ### Donald Richard DeLillo * 1936-Present * American writer recognized for his works spanning novels, short stories, plays, screenplays and essays. * Notable Works: * Americana 1971 * Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories * The Underworld * Falling Man * White Noise ### Kurt Vonnegut Junior * 1922-2007 * American novelist, satirist, and most recently, graphic artist and was recognized as New York State Author for 2001-2003 * Notable Works: * Slaughterhouse-Five * Breakfast of Champions * Cat's Cradle ### Ricardo Piglia * 1941-2017 * American novelist, satirist, and most recently, graphic artist, and was recognized as New York State Author for 2001-2003 * Notable Works: * Artificial Respiration * The Absent City * Nocturnal Target * Perpetual Prison ### Ahmed Salman Rushdie * 1947 - Present * Novelist and essayist * Set much of his early fiction at least partly on the Indian subcontinent * Notable Works: * Midnight's Children * Grimus (first published) * The Satanic Verses ## Key Stylistic Characteristics * **Intertexuality:** reference to other texts, blending high and low culture. * **Metafiction:** self-referential works that draw attention to their own fictional nature. * **Fragmentation:** Non-linear narratives, time shifts, and disjointed storylines. * **Pastiche:** This method reflects the postmodern understanding blending various literary styles, genres, and cultural references. * **Paranoia:** reflecting a distrust authority, systems, and the media. * **Irony and Parody:** authors use humor and wit. A playful attitude that is often evident in postmodern literature, which frequently employs irony, pastiche, and parody. Commenting on serious themes, subverting expectations and highlighting the absurdities of life. * **Relativism and Subjectivity:** questioning the nature of truth and reality. * **Justice and Identity:** exploration of race, gender, and sexuality. ## Common Themes * Identity * The impact of technology and media * Playful deconstruction of literary conventions * The pursuit of humanity were the common themes during the postmodernist period.