Post Modern Period (1939 – Present)

 Post Modern Period (1939 – Present)

The literary trends of the modern era started to change after 1939. Meanwhile, World War II destroyed social values. After 1939 a new trend emerged in English literature. Writers of this era continued to experiment with modernist writers. But at the same time, they reacted against many of the ideas added to modernist literature. That is, the writers of this age keep changing their theories of art. This makes it difficult to specify the exact characteristics of postmodern literature. Some important events happened during this era. The United Nations was formed after World War II. Many countries gained independence from colonialism. Religious beliefs and social customs tend to be largely disconnected. Gloominess and despair appear in almost all people. As a result, we have seen a wide spread of literary trends like Absurd Drama. It is assumed that the postmodern era is not yet over.

 

Important Features of the Post-Modern Period

• Subjectivity: Postmodernism shows that truth and knowledge are different for each person. Different cultures or people have their own views. It mixes fact and fiction.

 

• Romantic Elements: Postmodern literature has emotions, individualism, and rejects old rules. It questions what love and relationships really mean.

 

• Supernatural Elements: Some postmodern works include ghosts or magic. These elements make it hard to tell what is real or not.

 

• Conspiracy: Postmodern literature often talks about hidden plans that control society. These secret agendas affect people’s lives.

 

• Absurdism and Frustration: Many postmodern works show absurdity and confusion. They explore feelings of loneliness and a search for meaning in life.

 

• The Artificiality of Literature: Postmodern writers often focus on how literature is made. They create their own ways of writing instead of following old styles.

 

• Irony and Parody: Postmodern writing uses irony and parody. It makes fun of traditional ideas, institutions, and values.

 

• Global Perspective: Postmodern literature connects different cultures. It challenges the idea that only Western ideas are important. It celebrates diversity and global views.

 

• Consumerism and Mass Media: Postmodern literature talks about consumer culture. It shows how media and ads affect how we see ourselves and the world.

 

Remarkable Writers and Literary Works of the Post-Modern Period 

George Orwell (1903-50) His real name is Eric Arthur Blair.

• Animal Farm (1945)

• Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) 

• • Graham Greene (1904-91)
  • The Heart of the Matter (1948)

• Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays (1950)

 

Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (1905-1980)

He was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, and political activist. He was one of the exponents of the philosophy of existentialism and phenomenology.

• Nausea (1938)

• Being and Nothingness: An Essay on Phenomenological Ontology (1943)
• No Exit (1944)
• The Roads to Freedom (1949)

 

Samuel Beckett (1906-89), a French dramatist:

• Waiting for Godot (1952)

• Endgame (1955)
• Happy Days (1661)

 

William Gerald Golding, a novelist:

• Lord of the Flies (1954)

• The Scorpion God (1971)

 

Arthur Asher Miller (1915-2005)

• Death of a Salesman (1949)

• After the Fall (1964)
• The Price (1968)

 

Saul Bellow (1915-2005)

• • The Adventures of Augie March (1953)

• Seize the Day (1956)

 

Doris May Lessing (1919-2013)

• The Grass Is Singing (1950)

• The Golden Notebook (1962)
• Memoirs of a Survivor (1974)
• The Good Terrorist (1985)

 

John James Osborne (1929-94)

• Look Back in Anger (1956)

• Epitaph for George Dillon (1957)
• The Entertainer (1957)

 

Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

• The Hawk in the Rain (1957)

• Crow ((1970)

 

Harold Pinter (1930-2008)

• The Birthday Party (1958)

• The Care Taker (1960)

• The Homecoming (1965) 

 

Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) His full name is Albert Chinualumogu Achebe.

• Things Fall Apart (1958)

• No Longer at Ease (1960)
• Arrow of God (1964)
• A Man of the People (1966)

 

Toni Morrison (1931…)

• • The Bluest Eye (1970)

• Beloved (1987)

 

Sylvia Plath (1932-63)

• • The Colossus (1960)
  • Ariel” (1965) (Morning Song, Words, The Rival)

• Crossing the Water (1971)

 

Wole Soyinka (1934…)

• The Lion and the Jewel (1959)

• The Interpreters (1965)
• Idanre and Other Poems (1967)

 

Ahmed Salman Rushdie (1947…)

• Midnight’s Children (1981))

• • Shame (1983)

• The Satanic Verses (1988)