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Topic: What is important to look at in postmodern literature?  

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f7cecilie

I'm doing an analysis

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The most basic thing to look at in postmodern literature is what it is. This means starting any discussion by looking at shared characteristics, and then by examining how it is different from what went before.

 

These central points tend to a fragmented narrative, an increased emphasis on subjective perspectives, an emphasis on surface, rather than depth, and a blending of cultures, genres, and sometimes media. This means you get works that are fragmentary, that jump around, that blend high art, pop art, and pure trash, and that don't claim to be realistic.

 

After you look at the what, look at the why: why do these things emerge now, and what do they mean?

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Postmodernism takes the early promises of Realism to the fullest point. Objectivity is doubted in Realism and subjectivity and individual experience is the sole focal point in PM. PM gets a bad rap for not dealing with a genre, being too segmented etc. I find the finest examples of PM work to carefully exploit, parody, satirize, and allude to genre conventions and it that way they reinforce the presence of work that has gone before. 

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