Difference Between Modernism

and Postmodernism in Literature

June 26, 2018 Posted by Hasa
The key difference between modernism and postmodernism in literature is
that modernist authors deliberately broke away from traditional styles
of writing and focused on inner self and consciousnessin their writings
whereas postmodernist writers deliberately used a mixture of earlier
styles in their writings.

Modernism and postmodernism are two literary movements of the twentieth

century. Both these movements were greatly influenced by events like world
wars, industrialization, and urbanization.

CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Modernism in Literature
3. What is Postmodernism in Literature
4. Similarities Between Modernism and Postmodernism in Literature
5. Side by Side Comparison – Modernism vs Postmodernism in Literature in
Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Modernism in Literature?

Modernism is a literary movement that became popular at the beginning of the
twentieth century. This style of writing was also greatly influenced by events
like World Wars, industrialization, and urbanization. These kinds of events made
people question the foundations of the western society and the future of
humanity. Thus, modernist authors began to write about the decline of
civilization, inner self, and consciousness. Their work also reflects a sense of
disillusionment and fragmentation.

The stream of consciousness (a method of narration depicting the countless

thoughts and feelings that pass through the mind) was a commonly used
technique in modernist writings. In addition, writers also used irony, satire as
well as comparison to point out the shortcomings of the society.
 Figure 01: Example of Modernist Work

Examples of Modernism Literature

 James Joyce’s Ulysses

 S. Eliot’s The Waste Land
 Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying
 Virginia Woolf’s Dalloway

What is Postmodernism in Literature?

Postmodern literature is a form of literature marked by reliance on narrative
techniques such as fragmentation, unreliable narrator, parody, dark humor, and
paradox. Postmodernism came into prominence after the Second World War and
it is often seen as a response or reaction against modernism. As a result,
postmodern authors often highlight the possibility of multiple meanings within a
single literary work or a complete lack of meaning. Therefore, some common
literary techniques in postmodernism are as follows:
Pastiche – taking various ideas from previous work and styles and pasting them
together to create a new story

Temporal distortion – non-linear timeline and fragmented narrative

Metafiction – Making readers aware of the fictional nature of the text they are
reading

Intertextuality – acknowledging previous literary works within a literary work

Magical Realism – incorporating magical or unrealistic events into a realistic

story

Maximalism – highly detailed, disorganized and long writing

Minimalism – using common and non-exceptional characters and events

In addition, postmodern authors also used techniques such as irony, dark

humor, paradox, parody, fragmentation and unreliable narrators.
 Figure 02: Example of Postmodernist Work

Some Examples of Post Modern Novels

 One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

 Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
 Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
 Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
 Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
 The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

What are the Similarities Between Modernism

and Postmodernism in Literature?
 Modernism and Postmodernism reflect the insecurities, disorientation, and
fragmentation of the 20th century.
 They were greatly influenced by events like world wars, industrialization,
and urbanization.
What is the Difference Between Modernism
and Postmodernism in Literature?
Modernism is a movement in literature that was predominant in the 20th
century, characterized by a strong and deliberate break from the traditional
styles of prose and poetry. In contrast, postmodernism was a response against
modernism and was marked by its reliance on narrative techniques such as
unreliable narrator, fragmentation, parody, etc. Samuel Beckett, Ernest
Hemingway, James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, Sylvia
Plath, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Butler Yeats, and Virginia Woolf are some
examples of modernist writers. Thomas Pynchon, Joseph Heller, John Barth,
Vladimir Nabokov, Umberto Eco, Richard Kalich, Giannina Braschi, John
Hawkes, and Kurt Vonnegu are some examples of postmodernist authors.

Modernist authors deliberately broke away from traditional styles of writing and
focused on inner self and consciousness in their writings. The stream of
consciousness was the major technique introduced during this movement.
However, postmodernist writers deliberately used a mixture of earlier styles.
They also used techniques such as fragmentation, intertextuality, unreliable
narrator, parody, dark humor and paradox. This is the main difference between
modernism and postmodernism in literature.
Summary – Modernism vs Postmodernism in
Literature
Modernism and postmodernism are two literary movements of the twentieth
century. The difference between modernism and postmodernism in literature
depends on their themes and literary and narrative techniques.

Reference:
1. “Postmodernism in Literature: Definition & Examples.” Study.com. Available
here
2. “What Are Characteristics of Modernist Literature, Fiction in Particular?” Cliff
Notes. Available here
3. “Modernism.” The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and
Quotes. Essays & Summaries. Available here

Image Courtesy:

1.’JoyceUlysses2′ (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

2.’4196428467′ by Chris Dorward (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr