POSTMODERN LITERATURE

So, what would a short story, novel, or poem look like if you were told that you were reading an example of postmodern literature?

Would you enjoy the literature more or less than the modern novels or poems that you have read?

Would the reading and comprehension be more difficult or easier?

What do you think, considering the definitions that you have read, are the characteristics of a postmodern piece of literature?

POETRY

Let's look again at the poem that you read earlier by John Ashbery:http://www.poets.org/poems/poems.cfm?45442B7C000C07070173

Response to the poem:

Wow! A little strange, right?  Can you now come up with some characteristics of postmodern poetry by looking at "My Philosophy of Life"?

Don't be worried: most of what you are probably thinking right now about these poems define postmodern literature!

Take a look at how Ashbery is taught in classrooms:

John Asbery(b. 1927) by David Bergman http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/ashbery.html

Ashbery writes a poem about what a poem should be(or not be).  A college student paraphrased the poem, which might be a clearer rendition of his ideas!  Check out his poem and her translation:

Ashbery's poem on "What Is Poetry" http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/what-is-poetry.html

Jill E. Brown's translation of John Ashbery's "What Is Poetry" http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/what-is-poetry-student.html

Could you write a postmodern poem? Hold this thought!

NOVELS

Postmodern novels are similar to postmodern poetry; they could be confusing at first, but they are interesting, creative, and open to more than one interpretation!

Look at the following two links that explain how to read these novels:

Analyzing Postmodern Texts(part one) http://contemporarylit.about.com/library/weekly/aa031201a.htm

Analyzing Postmodern Texts(part two) http://contemporarylit.about.com/library/weekly/aa031201b.htm

Kurt Vonnegut

A popular postmodern writer whom you might know is Kurt Vonnegut.  He has written many novels and short stories about our modern world that are fascinating as well as confusing and disturbing.

Listen to a section of Slaughterhouse Five read by the author, Kurt Vonnegut.

Vonnegut reading his novel: http://archive.salon.com/audio/fiction/2001/02/20/vonnegut/index

The following link explains what postmodern American fiction offers the reader: http://www.siu.edu/worda/persp/f97/fiction.html

Interested in writing a little of a postmodern novel that shows your creativity, individuality, and interpretation of your world?  Hold this thought !

Check out the following link: it's an ironic look at postmodern writing and speaking; make sure that you understand the "tongue in cheek" tone!

Stephen Katz' essay on speaking and writing postmodern: http://www.newyorkartworld.com/commentary/SpeakAndWrite%20Postmodern.html

Your Task

Ready for your task? Read on!  You have a choice of the following two:

Task One: Create either a postmodern poem or a part to a postmodern novel.  In your writing, use techniques and themes that you now understand are postmodern.  Give a vision of your postmodern world and your interpretation of it.

Task Two: Critique a poem or short story by a postmodern writer, explaining the postmodern characteristics.  Discuss the writer's themes and view of the world.

Present your writing to the class as a formal presentation! Fun!