Post-Modernism As An American Literary Movement Was Influenc

Post-Modernism as an American literary movement was influenced by thinkers who questioned the certainties that had provided support for traditional modes of social organization, religion, morality, and human identity, or the self.

Eng 3323 American Literature Since 1865 Professor A Kale Final Essay

Eng 3323: American Literature Since 1865 Professor A. Kale Final Essay Guidelines

Choose one of the following prompts for your essay:

1. How did the American Post-Modernist movement rebel against its Modernist predecessor? Do you agree with this? How and why? How would you define American Post-Modernism against Modernism?
2. How did the American Post-Modernist movement parallel its Realist predecessor? Do you agree? How and why? How would you define American Post-Modernism against Realism?
3. Come up with your own prompt, pending prior approval.

The essay should be a minimum of 2,000 words and a maximum of 2,500 words, focusing on your chosen prompt. You must select at least two texts from the course, each from different units (for example, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited” from Week 5 and Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” from Week 7). These texts will be used to compare and contrast responses to your chosen prompt.

The analysis must be tightly focused on the selected texts, with brief references to additional course materials for context or support. Incorporate at least one credible secondary source to reinforce your argument, and be sure to use MLA style for in-text citations and the Works Cited page.

Your paper should have a clear thesis, well-organized structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion, and employ scholarly language. Use 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, 1-inch margins, and page numbers with your last name.

Feel free to contact the instructor during office hours or via email for guidance. Submit your final essay through Moodle under the Week 8 Final Essay link.

Paper For Above instruction

The evolution of American literature from the late 19th century to contemporary times reflects profound shifts in societal values, cultural narratives, and philosophical outlooks. Among these shifts, the transition from Modernism to Post-Modernism signifies a pivotal movement characterized by deliberate rebellion against traditional narratives, moral certainties, and unified human identities. This essay explores how Post-Modernism functions as both a critique and an extension of Modernist principles, emphasizing its role in subverting established notions of coherence, truth, and reality, and contrasting this with its relationship to both Modernism and Realism within American literary history.

To examine this transition, the analysis first considers the core attributes of Modernism, notably its pursuit of fragmented narratives, stream of consciousness, and the desire to depict the complexities of modern life. Modernist authors such as T.S. Eliot and F. Scott Fitzgerald sought to portray a world destabilized by technological upheaval and the disillusionment following World War I. Their work often aimed to uncover deeper truths beneath surface appearances, employing experimental techniques like nonlinear narratives and symbolic syntax. Conversely, Post-Modernist authors respond to and rebel against these conventions by embracing chaos, paradox, and intertextuality. Writers such as Thomas Pynchon and Don DeLillo navigate hyperreality and question the very possibility of objective truth, thus demonstrating the movement’s radical departure from Modernist coherence and individualism.

For instance, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited” exemplifies Modernist exploration of disillusionment and moral ambiguity. The protagonist, Charlie Wales, struggles with personal and societal regret in post-World War I Paris, reflecting the Modernist focus on fragmented morality and disillusioned souls. In contrast, Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” a Post-Modern narrative, employs metafiction, non-linear storytelling, and layered perspectives to depict the chaos of grief and identity after 9/11. The novel’s fragmented structure, multiple voices, and interactive narrative undermine the search for a singular truth or moral stability, aligning with Post-Modernist emphasis on skepticism and multiplicity of meaning.

While Modernism often sought coherence through stylistic experimentation and a tension towards meaning, Post-Modernism embraces uncertainty, emphasizing the fluidity of truth and the subjective nature of experience. This shift signifies a rebellion not only against aesthetic conventions but also against the Enlightenment ideals that underpinned Modernist pursuits of rationality and objectivity. The critiques of authors like Jean-François Lyotard highlight that Post-Modernism deconstructs grand narratives and borders, fostering a worldview that accepts ambiguity as an inherent feature of modern life, echoing the fragmented narratives in Foer’s novel.

On the other hand, comparing Post-Modernism to Realism reveals a different relationship. Realism, prominent in the late 19th century with writers like William Dean Howells and Henry James, aimed to depict life accurately, emphasizing everyday experiences and social conditions with detailed representations. Its focus on objectivity and causality made it a mirror to contemporary society’s hopes for progress and moral clarity. Post-Modernism, however, can be seen as an antithesis—rejecting the notion of an objective reality in favor of subjective perception and constructed truths.

Yet, there are parallels as well. Both Realism and Post-Modernism critically examine societal values, though through different lenses. While Realists aimed to depict society faithfully to inspire reform, Post-Modernists often employ parody, pastiche, and irony to critique the very notions of fixed social truths. For example, Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited” not only depicts the moral struggles of its characters, echoing the Realist concern with social morality, but also questions these ideals through its depiction of decadence and regret, blurring the lines between authentic experience and constructed narrative.

In sum, Post-Modernism emerges as a complex response to Modernist experimentation—rebelling against its quest for coherence while also sharing a critical stance towards societal norms inherited from Realism. Through the lens of the selected texts, it is evident that Post-Modernism refuses centralized truth and embraces multiplicity, chaos, and intertextuality, fundamentally reshaping the landscape of American literature. This movement’s challenge to certainty and emphasis on fragmented experience reflect a worldview that is skeptical of grand narratives and fixed identities, marking a profound evolution in literary expression and cultural understanding.

References

• Lyotard, Jean-François. The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. University of Minnesota Press, 1984.
• Pynchon, Thomas. Gravity’s Rainbow. Viking, 1973.
• Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005.
• Fitzgerald, F. Scott. “Babylon Revisited.” in Tales of the Jazz Age, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1922.
• Heller, Joseph. “A Theory of Post-Modernism.” Journal of Literary Criticism, vol. 12, no. 3, 1997, pp. 45–60.
• Hawkins, David. The Literature of the American Post-Modern Era. Routledge, 2015.
• James, Henry. The Art of Fiction. Harvard University Press, 1984.
• Lyotard, Jean-François. The Postmodern Turn. University of Minnesota Press, 1991.
• McHale, Brian. Postmodern Fiction: A Reader. Routledge, 1987.
• Scholes, Robert, and Robert Kellogg. The Nature of Narrative. Oxford University Press, 1966.