Postmodernist-novels.ppt

PostmodernNovels Thetermpostmodernismimpliesamovementawayfromandperhapsareactionagainstmodernism Bothtermsareoftenusedtodescribeabroadspectrumofattitudesandbroadapproachestothenovel SomeDefinitionsofTermsIngeneralpremodernismassumesthatmanisruledbyauthority e g theCatholicChurch andtradition Withmodernism influencedbyhumanismandtheEnlightenment manrejectstraditionandauthorityinfavorofarelianceonreasonandonscientificdiscovery Postmodernismstretchesandbreaksawayfromtheideathatmancanachieveunderstandingthrougharelianceonreasonandscience DiscoveriessuchasEinstein sTheoryofRelativity Heisenburg sUncertaintyPrinciple andtheweirdbehaviorofparticlesinquantumphysicsconveythebeliefthattheuniversecannotbeexplainedbyreasonalone Modernism withitsbeliefintheprimacyofhumanreason valuesrealisminfictionandlogicalnarrativestructures MaryKlagesays Modernityisfundamentallyaboutorder aboutrationalityandrationalization creatingorderoutofchaos Theassumptionisthatcreatingmorerationalityisconducivetocreatingmoreorder andthatthemoreorderedasocietyis thebetter i e themorerationally itwillfunction InModernistFictionRandallStevensonsays Postmodernismextendsmodernistuncertainty oftenbyassumingthatreality ifitexistsatall isunknowableorinaccessiblethroughalanguagegrowndetachedfromit CharacteristicsofPostmodernisminFictionPostmodernistfictionisgenerallymarkedbyoneormoreofthefollowingcharacteristics playfulnesswithlanguageexperimentationintheformofthenovellessrelianceontraditionalnarrativeformlessrelianceontraditionalcharacterdevelopmentexperimentationwithpointofviewexperimentationwiththewaytimeisconveyedinthenovelmixtureof highart andpopularcultureinterestinmetafiction thatis fictionaboutthenatureoffiction Fewtermshavebeensubjecttosuchintensedebatesas postmodernism Thoughitsindiscriminateusehasallbutexhaustedthewordofanykindofprecisemeaning onecandistinguishthreemajorusages i torefertothenon realistandnon traditionalliteratureandartofthepost WorldWarTwoperiod ii torefertoliteratureandartwhichtakescertainmodernistcharacteristicstoanextremestage aviewpropoundedinJohnBarth s TheLiteratureofExhaustion and iii torefertoamoregeneralhumanconditioninthe late capitalist worldofthepost1950s aperiodmarkedbytheendofwhatJean Fran oisLyotardcallsthegrand meta narratives ofwesternculture Themythsbywhichweoncelegitimizedknowledgeandpractice Christianity Science Democracy Communism Progress nolongerhavetheunquestioningsupportnecessarytosustaintheprojectswhichwereundertakenintheirname resultinginaradicaldecenteringofourculturalsphere Postmodernismdoesnotbelievein truth somuchthatitunderstandstruthandmeaningashistoricallyconstructedandthusseekstoexposethemechanismsbywhichthisproductionishiddenand naturalized Amongthemodernistdeviceswhichpostmodernismpushestoanewextremeare therejectionofmimeticrepresentationinfavourofaself referential playing withtheforms conventionsandiconsof highart andliterature therejectionofthecultoforiginalityinrecognitionoftheinevitablelossoforiginintheageofmassproduction therejectionofplotandcharacterasmeaningfulartisticconventions andtherejectionofmeaningitselfasdelusory However wheremodernismthoughtofitselfasalastditchattempttoshoreup likeEliot sFisherKing theruinsofwesternculture postmodernistsoftengleefullyacceptitsdemiseandplunderitsremainsfortheirartisticmaterials AndyWarhol smultipleimagesofMarilynMonroeandKathyAcker sre writingofCervantes DonQuixotearerepresentativeofthepostmodernisttrendtowardtobricolage theuseofthebitsandpiecesofolderartifactstoproduceanew ifnot original workofart aworkwhichblursthetraditionaldistinctionsbetweentheoldandthenewevenasitblursthosebetweenhighandlowart Postmodernisminliteratureisusuallyassociatedwith amongothers Acker Barth ThomasPynchon DonaldBartheleme JorgeLuisBorges ItaloCalvinoandJohnAshberry Theirliterarystrategieswidelydiffer buteachshowsaself reflexiveinterestintheprocessesofnarrativeitselfandthemeansbywhichitconstructsbothtextandreader InBarth sshortstory LostintheFunhouse forexample thenarratorconstantlybreakstheillusionofrealismtomakereferencetotheconventionalcodesofliteraturewhichheiscurrentlyemploying EnroutetoOceanCityhesatinthebackseatofthefamilycarwithhisbrotherPeter agefifteen andMagdaG agefourteen aprettygirlandexquisiteyoungladywholivednotfarfromthemonB Street Initials blanks orbothwereoftensubstitutedforpropernamesinnineteenthcenturyfictiontoenhancetheillusionofreality Itisasiftheauthorfeltitnecessarytodeletethenamesforreasonsoftactorlegalliability Interestingly aswithotheraspectsofrealism itisanillusionthatisbeingenhanced bypurelyartificialmeans 69 Thoughpostmodernismisconsideredsomethingofaspentforceincertaincircles mostofitsmajorliteraryfigures Pynchon Barth Bartheleme etc producedtheirmostvigorousworkinthelatesixtiesandseventies itslegacyisperhapsthemostdominantcontextfortheformalexperimentationwhichcharacterizeshypertextfiction Ifpostmodernismiscondemnedforhavinggivenuptheworldofsocialandpoliticalengagementforthesolipsistic 唯我论的 pleasuresofwordplay whatwillbesaidofafictionthatenticesitsreadersintotheethereal 飘渺的 voidoftheelectronicword Whatispostmodernism Firstly postmodernismwasamovementinarchitecturethatrejectedthemodernist avantgarde passionforthenew Modernismishereunderstoodinartandarchitectureastheprojectofrejectingtraditioninfavourofgoing wherenomanhasgonebefore orbetter tocreateformsfornootherpurposethannovelty Modernismwasanexplorationofpossibilitiesandaperpetualsearchforuniquenessanditscognate individuality Modernism svalorizationofthenewwasrejectedbyarchitecturalpostmodernisminthe50 sand60 sforconservativereasons Theywantedtomaintainelementsofmodernutilitywhilereturningtothereassuringclassicalformsofthepast Theresultofthiswasanironicbrick a brackorcollageapproachtoconstructionthatcombinesseveraltraditionalstylesintoonestructure Ascollage meaningisfoundincombinationsofalreadycreatedpatterns Followingthis themodernromanticimageofthelonecreativeartistwasabandonedfortheplayfultechnician perhapscomputerhacker whocouldretrieveandrecombinecreationsfromthepast dataalonebecomesnecessary Thissyntheticapproachhasbeentakenup inapoliticallyradicalway bythevisual musical andliteraryartswherecollageisusedtostartleviewersintoreflectionuponthemeaningofreproduction Here pop artreflectsculture American LetmegiveyoutheexampleofCalifornianculturewheretheperson thoughethnicallyEuropean African Asian orHispanic searchesforauthenticor rooted religiousexperiencebydabblinginavarietyofreligioustraditions Thefoundationofauthenticityhasbeenoverturnedastherelativismofcollagehassetin Weseeapatternintheartsandeverydayspirituallifeawayfromuniversalstandardsintoanatmosphereofmultidimentionalityandcomplexity andmostimportantly thedissolvingofdistinctions Insum wecouldsimplisticallyoutlinethismovementinhistoricalterms 1 premodernism Originalmeaningispossessedbyauthority forexample theCatholicChurch Theindividualisdominatedbytradition 2 modernism Theenlightenment humanistrejectionoftraditionandauthorityinfavourofreasonandnaturalscience Thisisfoundedupontheassumptionoftheautonomousindividualasthesolesourceofmeaningandtruth theCartesiancogito 笛卡尔式的我思 Progressandnoveltyarevalorizedwithinalinearconceptionofhistory ahistoryofa real worldthatbecomesincreasinglyrealorobjectified OnecouldviewthisasaProtestantmodeofconsciousness 3 postmodernism Arejectionofthesovereignautonomousindividualwithanemphasisuponanarchiccollective anonymousexperience Collage diversity themysticallyunrepresentable Dionysianpassionarethefociofattention Mostimportantlyweseethedissolutionofdistinctions themergingofsubjectandobject selfandother Thisisasarcasticplayfulparodyofwesternmodernityandthe JohnWayne 舞台和银幕上著名的明星 约翰 韦恩individualandaradical anarchistrejectionofallattemptstodefine reifyorre presentthehumansubject POSTMODERNISTFICTIONpostmodernistwritingquestionsthedistinctionbetweenfictionandnon fiction asitdoesthatbetweenhistoryandmythologyorotherkindsofwriting TerryEagletonsays Thereisperhapsadegreeofconsensusthatthetypicalpostmodernistartefactisplayful self ironizing andevenschizoid andthatitreactstotheaustereautonomyofhighmodernismbyimpudentlyembracingthelanguageofcommerceandthecommodity Itsstancetowardculturaltraditionisoneofirreverentpastiche anditscontriveddepthlessnessunderminesallmetaphysicalsolemnities sometimesbyabrutalaestheticsofsqualorandshock POSTMODERNSTYLISTICS accordingtoDavidLodge ContradictionPermutations andChoice 错置排列 Discontinuity lackofcausation Randomness noauthorialguidanceinroleofGod destiny Excess exampleafterexampleetc 枝叶逸出 ShortCircuit breakingtheframeorexposingliteraryconventions Likemuchcontemporaryliterarytheory thepostmodernistnovelputsintoquestionthatentireseriesofinterconnectedconceptsthathavecometobeassociatedwithwhatwecanconvenientlylabelasliberalhumanism autonomy transcendence certainty authority unity totalization system universalization centre continuity teleology closure hierarchy homogeneity uniqueness origin LindaHutcheon APoeticsofPostmodernism Routledge 1988 p 57 JohnMepham in NarrativesofPostmodernism inEdmundSmyth PostmodernismandContemporaryFiction Batsford 1991 arguesthatpostmodernismisaconditionofreadingapositionthatunderminesthecommonresponsethatpostmodernistwritingcanbefoundinmodernistwriting likeJoyce orinthe18thcentury Sterne orbefore ThecontemporaryWesternworldisinformedbypost structuralisttheoryandsopostmodernismisareadingstrategythatemergesnow Mephamsaystherearefourkindsofpostmodernistfiction Historical adevelopmentfromorawayfrommodernismPhilosophical arisesfromasiteclearedbypoststructuralism bytherealizationthat meaningisundecidable andthat realityisconstructedinandthroughlanguage Theworldisnotconceivedasconstructedinsubjectivitybutasconstructedthroughlanguage seePatriciaWaughMetafiction Methuen 1984 Ideological orpedagogic postmodernistfictionisdefinedintermsofitsintendedeffects whicharethatitshould problematisereality orlaysbare theprocessofworld construction seeBrianMcHale PostmodernistFiction Methuen 1987 Textual itusesstrategiesthatforegroundthetextualityoffiction forceconstantreinterpretationby reframing andgenerate apluralityofworlds Post structuralismsuggeststhatthebestimageforthepostmodernisttextistheLabyrinth Thetextasareifiedlocusofdeterminacyisreplacedbytextuality oftenfiguredbythemetaphorofthelabyrinth Asitincorporatesdecentring difference differanceandothergrammatologicalmoves thelabyrinth imageofthetext placeswritingbeforeusasthesettingoftheabyss Miseenabyme tothrowintotheabyss thevertigo 眩晕 producedbytheendlessplayofsignifiers RaymondFederman fromSurfiction 1975 thepeopleoffiction thefictitiousbeings willalsonolongerbewell madecharacterswhocarrywiththemafixedidentity astablesetofsocialandpsychologicalattributes aname asituation aprofession aconditionetc Thecreaturesofthenewfictionwillbeaschangeable asillusory asnameless asunnamable asfraudulent asunpredictableasthediscoursethatmakesthem Thisdoesnotmean however thattheywillbemerepuppets Onthecontrarytheirbeingwillbemoregenuine morecomplex moretrue to lifeinfact becausetheywillnotappeartobesimplywhattheyare theywillbewhattheyare word beings Thatcreaturewillbe inasense presenttohisownmaking presenttohisownabsence ThomasDocherty inE Smythed see pp 175 6 arguesthatthereisacategoryconfusioninpostmodernism fictionalcharacters whichhavebeenseenasepistemologicallyconstituted asbundlesoftraitsencompassedbyafixedsetoftextualevents arepurposelyconfusedwith real personalities theo