The Bonfire of the Vanities Group

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lfranova
lfranova
Student

What are some postmodern features in "The Bonfire of the Vanities"?

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Posted by lfranova on Saturday May 10, 2008 at 12:43 PM and tagged with postmodern features, the bonfire of the vanities.

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  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    Though the novel is not really fully a postmodern work, there are a range of postmodern features in "The Bonfire of the Vanities." One is the inclusion of false and fractured narratives. The fictional article from "The New York Times" at the end creates a postmodern intertextuality in the work. The frequent mentioning of brand names is postmodern; it emphasizes an ephemeral consumer culture. The focus on media, and the media frenzy that goes along with the court case, are postmodern in their focus; the media is of central importance to postmodernism, especially when the lines between truth and appearance dissolve, as happen here.

    Sources:
    http://books.google.com/books?id=26Pt0cm-ansC&pg=PA23...
    http://www.enotes.com/bonfire-vanities-qn/social-concerns...

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    Posted by gbeatty on Wednesday August 13, 2008 at 11:08 AM