Post-Modern / Contemporary Period (1950-present) By Mrs. Bernal

Postmodernism / Contemporary Art, architecture, or literature that reacts against earlier modernist principles, as by reintroducing traditional or classical elements of style or by carrying modernist styles or practices to the extremes. Contemporary writers focus on describing people’s emotional states rather than focusing so much on objects of their culture (as modern writers did)

Historical Context (1945) The end of World War II with the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima (1947-1953) The Cold War with the U.S.S.R. begins (1955-1968) The Civil Rights Movement (1957) The Final Frontier: Space Travel (1969) Segregation in public schools is abolished (1940s- present) Technology advances: Computers, Internet, Media, Cell phones, Etc.

Values and Beliefs War Fears: - many war-torn veterans from WWII tried to make sense of the madness - Fear of Nuclear Warfare plague the entire U.S. to raise the value of their lives Civil Right’s Movement: - The certainties of the past were called into question - Racial Equality for all citizens in the U.S. - It amplified the idea of an individual’s worth in society - Ethnic and minority writers ,and people, began to wonder how they might fit into mainstream culture

Multiculturalism - The growth in diversity brought many different ideals to the U.S. - Differences in culture, religion, and lifestyles were now accepted - Respect for other cultures began to emerge Pop Culture - The values are often portrayed and placed in the media, such as movies and television Post-Modernism - With the growth of modernism, others sought alternatives to redefine the norm - To redefine the norm, people would question their own consciousness and express their unconventional mindsets

Themes Unrealistic plot Games Parody Dark Humor Irony Paranoia Fragmented narration Magic Realism Disputes, reverses, mocks, and rejects the principles of Modern literature

Writing Style - Direct Characterization: The writer makes direct statements about a characters personality and tells what the character is like. -Indirect Characterization: The writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him. -Pop-Culture Allusions: The writer makes pop culture references that include movies, television, music, etc. - Extended Metaphor: A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem. - Unreliable Narrator: A character who tells the reader a story that cannot be taken at face value. This may be because the point of view character is insane, lying, deluded or for any number of other reasons.

Significant Authors J.D. Salinger (1919-2010) - novels, short stories Catcher in the Rye “Hapworth 16, 1924” Arthur Miller (1915-2005) - plays “ The Crucible” “Death of a Salesman” Amy Tan (1952-) - novels The Joy Luck Club The Bonesetter’s Daughter Joseph Heller (1923-1999) - novel Catch 22

More Significant Authors Harper Lee (1926-2016) -novels To Kill a Mockingbird Tim O’Brien (1946-) -memoirs, short stories “The Things They Carried” Malcolm X (1925-1965) -Autobiographies The Autobiography of Malcolm X Alice Walker (1944-) - novels, short stories, poems “Everyday Use” The Color Purple

More Significant Authors Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) - novels Slaughterhouse 5 Maya Angelou (1928-2014) - poems “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Flannery O’Conner (1925-1964) - short stories “A Good Man is Hard to Find” Toni Morrison (1931-) Beloved