Post-Modernism/Contemporary Literature1945-Present

Reaction to History Major historical events often cause shifts in

literary trends American Revolution- Deists to Rationalists Westward expansion- Rationalism to Romanticism Civil War- Romanticism to Realism WWI- Realism to Modernism

WWII leads to a shift away from Modernism towards Postmodernism

From Gatsby to Ginsberg

Post WWII Economic Boom

Growth of suburbs New technology

Within businesses and more consumer products Cold War

Tension with communist countries, especially U.S.S.R.

Civil Rights Movement Growing acceptance of individuals from diverse

backgrounds

1950s Suburbia

Cold War Propaganda

Civil Rights

Where are we currently? It is debated whether Postmodernism is

ongoing, or if there has been a shift to a new movement Theory 1:

1945-1980: Postmodernism 1980-Present: Contemporary Literature (unnamed

movement) Theory 2:

1945-Present: Postmodernism

Characteristics of Postmodernism Allows for multiple meanings and multiple

worlds dreams, the future, flashbacks etc.

Structures work in nontraditional forms Varied chapter/section breaks Multiple narrators/switching perspective

Comments upon itself Encourages self-awareness

Cultural diversity Blends and overlaps fiction and nonfiction

Rise of literary nonfiction and literary journalism

Characteristics Continued Cynicism towards society

Especially post Vietnam War Recent texts critical of American consumer culture

Questioning/Lack of identity Use of vernacular/sometimes shocking

language Especially prominent in poetry

Popular Authors Allen Ginsburg Sylvia Plath Flannery O’Connor Toni Morrison Alice Walker Cormac McCarthy Amy Tan Tim O’Brien

Junot Diaz Sandra Cisneros Jhumpa Lahiri Jonathan Franzen Jonathan Safran Foer George Saunders Billy Collins Gwendolyn Brooks

Author Pictures

The Rise of Young Adult Literature The Catcher in the Rye (1951) and The

Outsiders (1967) are early texts that lead to the burgeoning genre of young adult literature

Books targeted towards young adult interests and usually feature young adult protagonists

YAL has become a multi-million dollar industry Film adaptations for popular novels, even

sometimes before they are published

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Popular Titles Series

Harry Potter The Hunger Games Divergent Maze Runner Mortal Instruments The Giver Ender’s Game Twilight Uglies Sisterhood of the Traveling

Pants Inheritance Cycle Crank

Individual Works The Fault in Our Stars

Anything by John Green The Perks of Being a

Wallflower Thirteen Reasons Why The Book Thief Speak Holes If I Stay Feed Eleanor and Park