Postmodernism Related to A Girl’s Story Postmodernism is a form of literature which is marked both stylistically and ideologically, by a reliance on such literary conventions as unreliable narrators , parody, unrealistic plots, dark humor and authorial self-reference. A Girl’s Story written by David Arnason is a perfect example of postmodernism because David tends to ignore the traditional limitation of structure. He uses the power of his mind to develop his story (A Girl’s Story). David uses the cultures and classes to create a limitation free story that anyone can enjoy and understand. David Arnason uses literary devices in A Girl’s Story like irony, satire, pathetic fallacy, metaphors, juxtaposition, and imagery and symbolism …show more content…
Already David is using postmodernism by giving us a unreliable narrator who drinks too much. Metafiction is experienced throughout A Girl’s Story by drawing attention to the fact that the story is a work of fiction. David Arnason speaks towards the audience a lot through the story, the actual story doesn't even start until the third paragraph. One example of David speaking to his readers is; “so you’ve got long blonde hair and you’re this tall slender girl with amazingly blue eyes...i’m going to put a tiny black mole on your cheek. Its traditional. If you want your character to be really beautiful there has to be a minor defect.” (228). He uses metafiction to show that it is all a illusion by switching back and forth from his story to real life. David tells us to finish the story by saying “Now i’ve got to bring this to some kind of ending. You think that writers know how stories end before they write them, but that's not true. We’re wracked with confusion and guilt and guilt about how things are going to end.” (232). “I’m going to end it right here at the moment of the kiss. You can do what you want with the rest of it.” (233).
Playfulness, another basic element of postmodernism is experienced in David Arnason’s A Girls Story. David uses playfulness when he writes about hiding his drinking problem from his wife, “Then i came
In Thomas Foster’s book, “How to Read Literature Like a Professor,” readers learn how to look past the surface of a literary work to find a deeper or hidden meaning. Writers use devices, such as symbolism, imagery, foreshadowing, irony and allusion to reveal these meanings. If these are overlooked, important aspects of the story can be lost. One literary device that Foster emphasizes in his book is allusion. Every story has elements of another story, and Foster devotes Chapters Four through Seven explaining the meaning of allusion in works by Shakespeare, the Bible, and fairy tales.
uses the rhetorical devices of paradox, symbolism and the rhetorical appeal of pathos in his novel
Charlotte, a teenager making her way through high school, undergoes a coming of age transformation through the teachings of her Mrs. Hancock and her mother in “The Metaphor” by Budge Wilson. As with most stories like these, Charlotte has a major conflict that determines how she will grow up. For the protagonist, the conflict is not so much between her teacher and mother, but more so the lessons they bestow upon Charlotte. Through her use of literary techniques, the author is able to craft this dynamic between the two schools of thought. The symbolism, diction, tone and metaphors that Wilson uses shows which discipline, flamboyant and exciting or controlling and passive-aggressive, she chooses to live by.
Different literary devices are used to make books and stories more descriptive and interesting. In Shirley Jackson’s short stories, “The Lottery,” and, “The Possibility of Evil,” she uses these literary devices in her writing. There are several examples of her using irony, imagery, and tone . Shirley Jackson uses these words to improve her short stories and to make them more fascinating for the reader.
There are three principal sources of interest in narratives: suspense, mystery, and irony. In the narratives “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Ronald Dahl, irony is a primary source of interest. Irony is defined as a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. In both of these cases, the use of irony by the authors greatens the impact the pieces have on their audience. In both “A Rose for Emily” and “Lamb to the Slaughter”, the authors have numerous pieces of irony throughout their respective stories; this use of irony creates a better reading experience for the reader.
In fact, most of them are unidentified and the reader may not identify a specific person that speaks in the different chapters. Thus, the audience may understand it is an embodiment of females focusing on structuring the major theme of the book, which is gender inequality. Additionally, the description of the female characters is equivocal such that the reader has to picture the image of the women. Although the author provides various photos in the book, there is absence of an explanation. Before this, the writer only concentrates on telling the story (Kim,165). Additionally, the author uses poetic approach to explain the setting in the book, which gives the novel distinct styles of writing. In fact, the poems are only meant to provide the reader with a description of the mothers and daughters, and this creates a distinction in the narrative. Resultantly, the audience perceives that when a poem appears in the reading, the author is probably narrating the plight of women. Notwithstanding, the novel uses visual art technique to communicate to the audience. in many instances, the author does not provide a description of an individual such that the reader has to imagine the person. In doing so, the readers are in suspense but the author offers a drawing that may be used to demystify the situation. in support of this style, it is apparent that the visual art may have
The world is a massive place full of endless literature, beginning from ancient scrolls to daily news articles, filled with many secrets, perspectives and surroundings that help connect literature to an individual’s daily life. Some writers use the skills of literary elements to express and discuss an event that has happened to them or what has happened to others. This helps others to comprehend the perspectives of the author’s understanding toward an incident that one might experience. For instance in Flannery O’Connor’s short story, she uses many literary elements to express her views over most of her stories. O’Connor expresses her views in her short story, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by using the literary elements of point of view, irony, and setting.
Postmodern fiction is unique due to it sustained emphasis on indeterminacy and irony. In Eat the Document, Dana Spiotta creates ironic situations when she pairs different characters together. Josh Marshall, Jason, and Henry are three characters that present an ironic twist that help us understand the evolving legacy of Baby Boomers and Generation X.
Although the core plots of Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” and Neil Burger’s Divergent are different, there are similarities between them. One similarity I have found is the way both Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” and Neil Burger’s Divergent use the postmodern quality of feelings of anxiety, confusion, and uncertainty in their respective works.
Interesting or humorous uses of literary devices such as similes, metaphors, and personification can add to the complexity of certain characters or draw attention to important parts of the story. When used well, these fascinating descriptions can simply make a story better. Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See is a
In "Birthday Party", by Katherine Brush a use of literary devices is used in her writing like mood and diction to her message that things can be deceiving.
The great death and suffering of WWII caused many to focus their writings more on the killing and power-hungry desires of the society we live in, and thus gave birth to the genre. Most works of postmodern literature were written to criticize the darker and controversial issues of society and human behavior through satire and
Girl Interrupted is a discerning, unwavering document that gives long-lasting and precise dimension to our explanations of stable and insane, mental illness and recovery. This intense novel uses language, literary terms and structure to express the struggle that author Susanna Kaysen went through in her lifetime. This story contains a strong use of literary Language and terms. The Terms are stated firmly and clearly through the entire book. For example when Susanna says, "And somewhat more dangerous things, like putting a gun in your mouth", this is an example of a simile when she is speaking about suicide.
Postmodernism is a middle-to-late twentieth-century movement that is often exceptionally difficult to define and categorize. Beginning sometime after World War II and continuing into the present, postmodernism is often categorized as a revolt to modernism. The authors focus their writing on many characteristics such as there is no reality, meaning that all observations are assembled by outside forces and that all insights are potentially incorrect. Postmodernism has grown into what it is because of the technological growth of America as well. It responds to those changes and incorporates these ideas into the writing. Postmodernism also seeks to reanalyze society and history. Instead of just going with writing the way it has been forever, the writing seeks to question anything and everything. Then, just when the answer is there, postmodernism questions that as well. There are many themes and styles associated with postmodern writing. Fragmentation, irony, pastiche, metafiction, and unreliable narrator are some of these themes and styles. Fred Chappell, author of I Am One of You Forever, focuses on the theme of the unreliable narrator to tell a tale about Jess, a young boy from Eastern North Carolina, and his recollection of thoughts.
Many of your favorite authors bring their successful literature to life with the use of literary devices. For example, in The Book Thief, the author, Markus Zusak conveyed a story from death’s perspective of adversities faced during World War II. On the other hand, in “The Monkey’s Paw,” author W.W. Jacobs told his audience about a magical paw that revealed the meaning of fate to the White family. In another work, “The Plot Against People,” Russell Baker took a humorous spin on his frustration of inanimate objects. Although these three authors tell three completely different narratives, they all used literary devices to enhance their stories. Some of the most compelling literary devices used in these works include irony, mood, and personification. By using these literary devices, the authors effectively convey their purposes.