Post Modernism In Postmodern Literature

Post modernism has been classified as movements or trends in the fields of art, architecture, literature and criticism. It was developed in the 1970’s, in response to or dismissal of the doctrine, standards, or practices of modernism. Post modernism encourages the utilization of components from chronicled vernacular styles and regularly lively hallucination, decorations, and complexed nature (12). It incorporates various translations of culture, literature, art, philosophy, history, economics, architecture, fiction, and literary criticism (12). Postmodern works are seen as a response to the conventional way of thinking and modernist approaches to literature. Postmodern literature is classified as literature which utilizes certain narrative

Maximalism is basically a response to minimalism, in simple terms it states that “more is more” as compared to minimalism, in which the motto is “less is more”. Maximalism in terms of literature refers to the excess of deviation, reference, and elaboration of detail occupy a large section of the story. Basically it can be anything from providing excessive material to adding it for an ostentatious effect. David Foster Wallace has used this post modernism device several times, including in his short story Death is not the end. In this story the excess of detail is quite evident as this 4 page story only consists of 3 sentences, with all the details connected through a series of comma. The first sentence itself is nearly 2 and a half pages long. In this story, the reader can easily spot the maximalistic approach as sentence seem to repeat the same content, for example: “Occasionally wetting the finger to turn the page, wearing prescription sunglasses whose lenses were chemically treated to darken in fractional proportion to the luminous intensity of the light to which they were exposed, wearing on the trailing hand a wristwatch of middling quality and expense, simulated rubber thongs on his feet, legs crossed at the ankle and knees slightly spread, the sky cloudless and brightening as the morning’s sun moved up and right, wetting a finger not with saliva or perspiration

“Magic Realism is a literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy.” Magic realism is commonly used among writers and relates more to those articles which particularly depict supernatural or incredible components as a characteristic of a generally reasonable and ordinary environment. David Foster Wallace used this literary technique in his story Church not made with hands. In this story, David Foster Wallace brilliantly uses this technique to make the reader believe the surreal event, occurring in the story, are part of normal and ordinary life. An example of his work is, “Day stands at a square window with a cup of something hot. A dead Cezanne does this August sunrise in any-angled smears of clouded red, a blue that darkles. A Berkshire’s shadow retreats towards one blunt nipple: fire.” Another example would be the quote from the end of the story, Rotate “the sky is an eye. The dusk and dawn are the blood that feeds the eye. The night is the eye’s drawn lid. Each day the lid again comes open, disclosing blood, the blue iris of a prone giant (symbolizes god or a higher power watching).” This beautiful piece shows us how David Foster Wallace has fully utilized this literary device to make a supernatural event seem as part of ordinary