Postmodernism Context

What period is considered Post-modern?

1945-now

Primary concepts driving post modernism

Rejected metanarratives

Fragmentation and de-centeredness

Pastiche, parody, intertextuality

Experimenting with high and low art

Most important concept of post modernism

Rejected metanarratives

Time period of Early Postmodernism

1950s-70s

Characteristics of early post modernism

Fearing “the other”

Rejecting failed metanarratives

Search for cultural identity

What was late post modernism in reaction to?

Mass consumerism

Time period of late post modernism

1980s-2000s

Characteristics of late post modernism

search for personal identity

globalism

technology

multi-faceted self

Social/Economic Aspects of the 50s

American dream, suburban development, conform to trad. values

What wars influenced the 50s?

Vietnam War, Cold War, Korean War

What did wars of the 50s breed?

aggressive nationalism and patriotism

How does the McCarthy era relate to the 50s?

Occurred during 50s due to fear of the other

How did WWII change the literature market?

Paperbacks sent out to troops created a demand for genre books

Writers and scholars during the 50s:

fled back to America brining international influences

GI Bill impact on 50s

propelled higher education (literacy and education rates grow)

Youth counterculture of the 50s

rebellious voices rising

What movements happened during the 60s?

Civil Rights, Women’s Liberation, Native American Movement

White counterculture in the 60s

Ken Kesey and “The Merry Pranksters” → create the typical hippie

Conflicts during 60s

JFK Assassination, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, MLK Assassination, Vietnam War

How were protagonists different during the 60s?

They became misunderstood and nonconformist outsiders

Literary aspects of 60s

Black and indigenous voices gain traction

Mass media and literature in the 60s

Mass media like TV shows and movies begin to have an impact on literature, vice versa

Social justice in the 70s

Gay rights movement (Stonewall), Disability Rights and other movements continue

Conflicts during the 70s

1974 Watergate, 1975 Vietnam War ends, 1979 Iranian Hostage crisis, recurring oil shortages spark crisis, inflation, and unemployment

Politics during the 70s

Hippie movement declines and conservative politics strengthen

Literary changes in the 70s

unreliable narrators, internal monologue, stream of consciousness

Conflicts of 80s

US, UK, and USSR leaders begin to bring end to Cold War, 1989 Berlin Wall falls, 1986 Challenger explosion, 1988 Bin Laden forms Al Qaeda

Politics of 80s

conservativism

How was conservativism reflected during the 80s?

War on Drugs, Satanic Panic, erosion of welfare programs

What epidemic occurred heavily during the 80s?

AIDS epidemic

Economy of the 80s

flourishing, consumerism grows

Where did the military move to in the 80s?

Middle East

Technology booms in the 80s

Arcades, personal computers, MTV

What class of American was common in the 80s?

yuppies, middle class