Paper :- 110 Assignment

Name :- Aditi Vala

MA Sem :- 02

Batch :- 2020-2022

Roll no. :- 01

Enrollment No. :- 3069206420200018

Paper No. :- 110 ( History of English Literature From 1900 to 2000 )

Topic :- Difference between Modernism and Postmodernism 

Email id :- valaaditi203@gmail.com

Submitted to :- S.B.Gardi Department Of English,MKBU

Difference Between Modernism and Postmodernism

Introduction :

Modernism Vs. Postmodernism Modernism began in the 1890s and lasted till about 1945. ... The fundamental difference between modernism and postmodernism is that modernist thinking is about the search of an abstract truth of life while postmodernist thinkers believe that there is no universal truth, abstract or otherwise.The main difference between these architectural styles will be discussed, by referring to some of the architect’s perception towards modern and postmodern architecture.

Modernism vs Postmodernism :

Modernism is a school of thought or a movement that took place in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries. It involved a reform movement in art, music, literature, and the applied arts. It was based on rational thinking, logic, and the scientific process. It aimed at creating a clear and rational view of the world; believing that through science and reason mankind can advance and grow. It advocated the belief that there is much to learn from the past that could be beneficial to the present.

Modernism is a school of thought or a movement that took place in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries. It involved a reform movement in art, music, literature, and the applied arts. It was based on rational thinking, logic, and the scientific process. It aimed at creating a clear and rational view of the world; believing that through science and reason mankind can advance and grow. It advocated the belief that there is much to learn from the past that could be beneficial to the present.

Postmodernism, on the other hand, is a school of thought or a movement that took place after the Second World War, but it gained popularity in the 1960s. It was a chaotic era hard to comprehend and apprise. It advocated the belief that there is no universal truth. It used an unscientific approach to life and believed that all things are irrational. Postmodernists believed in chance and transience. They questioned the rationality of modernism, its principles and thinking. They believed that there is no connection between the past and the present and that past events are irrelevant in the present.

The postmodernist era was characterized by the advancement of technology and its use in music, art, and literature. Very few original works of artists can be found during this time, and previous works were copied. Postmodernist artists get their inspiration and basis from the original works of modernist artists.

Characteristics of Modernism in Literature:

Modernism in literature is instantly recognizable. It is characterised by:

.Refusal of coherent meaning

.Rejection of realism

.Subjectivity

.Split temporalities

.Unstable identity

.Idiosyncratic language

.Metafiction

.Experimental forms

.Split identities

.Focus on interiority

.Unreliable narrator

                  Modern writers give primacy to form. This results in experimentalism, which breaks with 19th century realist conventions. Modernism celebrates unreliable or even split narrators. In Cortázar’s short story ‘Axolotl’ the narrator switches mid-sentence from the man who describes the axolotls to one of the axolotls:

                I saw a rosy little body, translucent (I thought of those Chinese figurines of milky glass), looking like a small lizard about six inches long, ending in a fish’s tail of extraordinary delicacy, the most sensitive part of our body.

               The modern narrator tends to be the main protagonist of the story. His or her personal involvement in the events usually precludes objectivity. Narrators habitually cheat readers, conceal certain events, or change from person to person. 

                The modern narrator has none of the authority of his or her realist counterparts Modern fiction often explores the theme of identity, which is more fluid and unstable than in pre-modern literature.Modern fiction privileges interiority over exteriority, a good example of which is the hallmark of modern literature – the stream of consciousness.

Characteristics of Postmodernism in Literature:

Ambivalent stance towards realism

Split temporalities

.Ironic narrator

.Metafiction

.Fragmentation

.Multiple points of view

.Focus on exteriority

.Pastiche

.Irony

.Black humour

.Intertextuality

             Postmodern texts are usually written in clear, everyday language, even though their structure can be quite complex. A good example of this is Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller, which contains ten separate beginnings of books, which are connected by the adventures of the Reader whose reading is constantly frustrated. Calvino used the metaphor of a diamond to reflect his writing practice – the language is crystal clear but the structure is multi-faceted and fragmented.

                        Postmodern texts tend not to engage in innocent, linear story-telling. Similarly to modern works, they draw attention to their status as fiction and the act of writing or reading. Unlike modernism though, postmodern texts refers both to themselves and the external world. Protagonists are often aware that they are in fiction.

                    Postmodernism works by multiplication – multiple narrators, perspectives, or takes on the same story. This represents postmodern skepticism towards single, unitary, and totalizing narratives .Whereas modernism focuses on interiority and psychological, postmodernism recovers the preoccupation with the external and the construction of worlds.

                  Postmodernism uses pastiche, black humour, and parody in order to contest traditional literary conventions. Postmodernism exists in a state of permanent paradox: parody draws strength from conventions and subverts them at the same time.

Critique of 19th Century Realism:

                  Both modernism and postmodernism are disillusioned with 19thcentury realism.

Realism attempts to sustain the illusion that the narrated world is a plausible version of the one we live in. You can think of realist narration as a transparent window through which the reader looks at the narrated world (in contrast, modern and postmodern windows either distort the narrated world or draw attention to the frames). Realism works as a tacit agreement between writer and reader; the former does everything to sustain the illusion of reality and the latter suspends disbelief.

Underpinning realism is the conviction that the world can be described in an objective manner. Modernism and postmodernism lose this faith in objectivity, and they focus instead on subjective modes of narration.

Modern writers disagree with realist ones the real world can be merely translated, transmitted or reflected – every act of writing is essentially creating a new world. Modernism rejects realist conventions, such as detailed descriptions or the third-person impartial narrator.

Both modernism and postmodernism recognize that the fictional world is mediated through frames (particular narrative choices which are always subjective). Whereas realism tries to conceal these frames by rendering the language as “transparent” and unobtrusive as possible, modern and postmodern writers draw attention to language and narration.

                  During the modernist era, art and literary works were considered as unique creations of the artists. People were serious about the purpose of producing art and literary works. These works were believed to have a deep meaning, and novels and books predominated society. 

                       During the postmodernist era, with the onset of computers, media, and advancements in technology, television and computers became dominant in society. Art and literary works began to be copied and preserved by means of digital media. People no longer believed in art and literary works bearing one unique meaning; they rather believed in deriving their own meanings from works of art and literature.

Conclusion : 

                 The term "Postmodern" begins to make sense if you understand what "Modernism" refers to. In this case, "Modernism" usually refers to Neo-Classical, Enlightenment assumptions concerning the role reason, or rationality, or scientific reasoning, play in guiding our understanding of the human condition and, in extreme cases of Postmodern theory, nature itself. Postmodernism basically challenges those basic assumptions.

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