Lesson 1: What is Postmodernism?

Lesson 1: What is Postmodernism? 

In this final unit, we will study Postmodernism by reading, discussing, and analyzing the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Although Martel is a Canadian author, Canadian literature is studied as part of English literature, just as the works of Irish poet W. B. Yeats, Irish writer James Joyce, and Scottish poet Robert Burns are also studied in English literature classes.

Tiger (Image: fxguide.com)

Before you begin Lesson 1, these are the three key texts we will be reading and discussing in this unit:

"The Tyger" and "The Lamb" by William Blake
"The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton
Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Note: Life of Pi is the only text you will need to purchase. 
The link will take you to Amazon, where you may buy the book. 
The ISBN is: 97-0-15-602732-8

Caution:


Do not watch Ang Lee's movie on Life of Pi as a substitute for reading the novel. Although the movie is visually stunning, its ending is presented in a way that the book does not support. Also, do not read interpretations of the novel that are commonly found on the Internet, such as SparkNotes, Cliff Notes, Shmoop, and others.  Most interpretations of the novel found online are incorrect, as they present a simplistic interpretation of the ending that is not supported by the text. Remember: Your final assignment for this unit is an interpretative paper over Life of Pi. If you watch only the movie version or read study guides on the Internet and accept those as the correct interpretation of Life of Pi, you will have missed the entire point of the book. 

Lesson 1 Readings and Instructions:

In the first part of this lesson, I would like to assess what you remember from our last unit on British modernism. Please take this brief ten-question survey on postmodernism through SurveyMonkey. Note: This is a survey, not a quiz. I am grading your survey on completion, not on how many answers you get right. After you have taken the survey, please read the following links that review the twentieth century and briefly introduce postmodernism.

"The Twentieth Century: Introduction," The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Norton Topics Online. 
"General Introduction to the Postmodern," Introductory Guide to Critical Theory, Purdue College of Liberal Arts.

One of our objectives for this part of the course is for you to understand what the term postmodernism means and what are the characteristics of postmodernist literature. 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines postmodernism as "[t]he state, condition, or period subsequent to that which is modern . . . any of various styles, concepts, or points of view involving a conscious departure from modernism, especially when characterized by a rejection of ideology and theory in favor of a plurality of values and techniques" ("Postmodernism" OED). 

In other words, postmodernism is a period of literature that began in the mid-twentieth century as a reaction to modernism. Most postmodernist literature denies that there can be any universal truth. Postmodernism uses some literary techniques that are very different from modernism and previous periods of literature. Some of these techniques and characteristics may include:

1. Metafiction: Postmodernist literature often functions as a work of metafiction. This means that at times the literature calls attention to itself as a work of fiction, rather than pretending to be real. 
2. Author as character: In postmodernist literature, authors may place themselves as a character in their own novels. This is another aspect of metafiction. This technique  distorts reality by intentionally blurring the boundaries between fact and fiction. 
3. Irony and parody: Postmodernist literature calls attention to itself by making itself the object of its own irony and parody.
4. Questioning values: Postmodernist literature questions everything--religion, truth, ideals, values, morals, etc.
5. Unreliable narrators: Narrators in postmodernist literature are frequently unreliable. This means that you cannot always trust what the narrator of the story is telling you.
6. Narrative shifts: In a postmodernist novel, the story can be told from many different perspectives.
7. Distortion of time: In a postmodernist novel, the element of time can be distorted, so that the reader is never quite certain of what event is happening at what time.
8. Distortion of reality: Reality is often distorted in a postmodernist novel through elements of magic or surrealism (Adapted from "General Introduction to the Postmodern"). 

Lesson 1 Assignment--Timed Response:

After you have read the links posted above about the twentieth century and post-modernism, set your timer for ten minutes and write a short-paragraph response (150 words or less) to the following question: 

"What do you hope to learn from this final unit on postmodernism?" 

You are being graded on the thoughtfulness of your response and on completion (10 points). Record your thoughts on a Microsoft Word document and e-mail them to me as an attachment to my e-mail address: mmatheny60@gmail.com. 

As we study Life of Pi and the other readings, please keep the following guiding questions for this unit study in mind:

• What is meant by the term postmodernism?
• What are the techniques/characteristics of postmodernist literature?
• Why is Life of Pi a postmodernist novel? 
• What do we learn about human nature through Life of Pi and the other readings in this unit? What separates humans from animals?
• How does Life of Pi discuss faith? 
• How does Life of Pi either challenge or prove what we know to be true?