Postmodernism...The Novel The term Postmodern literature is used to describe certain characteristics of post-World War II literature (relying heavily, for example, on fragmentation, paradox, questionable narrators, etc.) and a reaction against Classical and Enlightenment ideas implicit in Modernist literature Postmodern literature, like postmodernism as a whole, is hard to define and there is little agreement on the exact characteristics, scope, and importance of postmodern literature

But, I'll try it anyway... Instead of the modernist quest for meaning in a chaotic world, the postmodern author eschews, often playfully (or with satire), the possibility of meaning, and the postmodern novel is often a parody of this quest.

What else to PMs do? This distrust of modernist traditions extends even to the author and his/ her own self-awareness. The distinction between high and low culture is also attacked with the employment of pastiche, the combination of multiple cultural elements including subjects and genres not previously deemed fit for literature. Consider the way Saleem tells his story: dependence on both written and oral traditions which inevitably leads to conflict in the telling of the story itself.

Comparing Mods and P-Mods... Both modern and postmodern literature represent a break from 19th century realism In character development, both modern and postmoderns explore "subjectivism", turning from external reality to examine inner states of consciousness, and draw on modernist examples in the stream of consciouness styles of William Faulkner, Virginia Woolf, and James Joyce. In addition, both modern and postmodern literature explore fragmentariness in narrative- and character-construction Modernist literature sees fragmentation and extreme subjectivity as an existential crisis, or Freudian internal conflict, a problem that must be solved, and the artist is often cited as the one to solve it

Mods vs. P-Mods... Postmodernists, however, often demonstrate that this chaos is insurmountable the artist is impotent, and the only recourse against "ruin" is to play within the chaos Playfulness, humor, sarcasm, irony, is present in many modernist works but with postmodernism such aspects becomes central and the actual achievement of order and meaning becomes unlikely

Does P-Mod Still Exist? Maybe. Postmodernism in literature is not an organized movement with leaders or central figures, so it is difficult to say if it has ended or when it will end (compared to, say, declaring the end of modernism with the death of Joyce or Woolf). Arguably postmodernism peaked in the 60s and 70s with the publication of Catch-22 in 1961 as one example.

Does P-Mod Still Exist? Maybe. Some declared the death of postmodernism in the 80's with a new surge of realism represented and inspired by Raymond Carver However, Chuck Palahniuk, David Foster Wallace, Michael Chabon, and Cormac McCarthy have surfaced recently with very P-Mod novels Finally, as mentioned before, P-Mods tend to be satiric (though not necessarily creators of satires)

Mods, P-Mods and Midnight's Children Again, instead of the modernist quest for meaning in a chaotic world, the postmodern author eschews, often playfully, the possibility of meaning, and the postmodern novel is often a parody of this quest. Consider Saleem's conscientious attempts at a "gang" the "Midnight's Children's Conference" Should we really take Saleem and his story seriously? The nose? The knees? The hamper? The stripping of Sonny? The thunder box? The physical features? Also, consider Shiva's open disregard for any sort of meaning: "God knows how many millions of damn fools living in this country, man, and you think there's a purpose."

In Other Words... Shiva is Saleem's foil, and perhaps exists to offer a dose of reality to Saleem and the reader In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight various features of that other character's personality, throwing these characteristics into sharper focus.