Introduction to PostModernism LI: Students will be introduced into the concept of postmodernism and how literature was affected by postmodernism SC: Students will apply the key concepts of postmodernism to Slaughterhouse Five

Slaughterhouse Five

Slaughterhouse Five Unit objectives: Essay or creative assignment that demonstrates how Slaughterhouse Five is a piece of postmodern literature = Your choice Essential Questions: What is postmodernism? How did this form of expression come about and why was it a preferred method for some?

Structure Quick Write Questions Quiz Discussion Classwork

Postmodernism Postmodern literature is literature characterized by heavy reliance on techniques like fragmentation, paradox, and questionable narrators, and is often (though not exclusively) defined as a style or trend which emerged in the post–World War II era. Postmodern works are seen as a reaction against Enlightenment thinking and Modernist approaches to literature.

Postmodernism Reaction against a “wrong” All work has a cynical tone About resistance Hard to define but easy to spot There is no truth Postmodern literature uses ordinary literary devices and use those devices for different purposes than intended Slaughterhouse Five is often seen as a prime example of postmodern literature

Utopia vs. Dystopia

Fragmentation Various elements, concerning plot, characters, themes, imagery and factual references are fragmented and dispersed throughout the entire work.

Temporal distortion Part of fragmentation and non-linear narratives Time may also overlap, repeat, or bifurcate into multiple possibilities

Metafiction Essentially writing about writing Metafiction is often employed to undermine the authority of the author, for unexpected narrative shifts, to advance a story in a unique way, for emotional distance, or to comment on the act of storytelling.

Metafiction Examples

Black Humor and Irony Humor that makes light of otherwise serious subject matter… for a purpose It's common for postmodernists to treat serious subjects in a playful and humorous way.

Pastiche Means to combine, or "paste" together, multiple elements. Postmodernist literature this can be an homage to or a parody of past styles. It can be seen as a representation of the chaotic, pluralistic, or information-drenched aspects of postmodern society. Questioning of distinctions between high and low culture

Magic Realism Literary work marked by the use of still, sharply defined, smoothly painted images of figures and objects depicted in a surrealistic manner. The themes and subjects are often imaginary, somewhat outlandish and fantastic and with a certain dream-like quality. The mingling and juxtaposition of the realistic and the fantastic or bizarre.

Technoculture and Hyperreality In postmodernity people are inundated with information, technology has become a central focus in many lives, and our understanding of the real is mediated by simulations of the real. Heavy reliance on science fiction in postmodernism.

Paranoia The belief that there's an ordering system behind the chaos of the world is another recurring postmodern theme. For the postmodernist, no ordering is extremely dependant upon the subject, so paranoia often straddles the line between delusion and brilliant insight.

Chapter 1 Next class: Kurt Vonnegut and the Bombing of Dresden