Comparison Between Modernism and Postmodernism in English Literature

 

Comparison Between Modernism and Postmodernism in English Literature

 

Aspect

Modernism

Postmodernism

Historical Background

Emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, influenced by World War I, industrialization, and urbanization. It reflected disillusionment with traditional beliefs and sought new ways to represent reality.

Rose after World War II during the mid-20th century, shaped by the Cold War, globalization, and technological advancements. It responded to the perceived failures of modernism and celebrated diversity and pluralism.

Social Changes

Addressed the alienation, fragmentation, and loss of faith in religion and traditional authority due to rapid modernization.

Reacted to consumerism, mass media, and cultural relativism, often challenging grand narratives and embracing skepticism.

Key Features

Focused on experimentation with form and structure, such as stream of consciousness and fragmented narratives. Explored themes of alienation, identity, and existentialism.

Emphasized playfulness, intertextuality, and metafiction. Celebrated pastiche, parody, and irony while often rejecting absolute truths and singular meanings.

Gender Roles

Gender roles were often questioned, but within the constraints of societal norms of the time. Female authors like Virginia Woolf explored women’s inner lives and societal constraints, but many works still adhered to patriarchal perspectives.

Gender roles are deconstructed and fluid. Feminist and queer theories heavily influenced postmodern literature, highlighting diverse gender identities and challenging traditional binary roles. Authors like Angela Carter (The Bloody Chamber) and Jeanette Winterson (Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit) explored non-conventional narratives of gender and sexuality.

Literature

Works often carried a sense of seriousness and purpose. Example authors: T.S. Eliot (The Waste Land), James Joyce (Ulysses), Virginia Woolf (To the Lighthouse).

Works often blurred boundaries between high and low culture, celebrating ambiguity. Example authors: Thomas Pynchon (Gravity's Rainbow), Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse-Five), and Salman Rushdie (Midnight's Children).

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