Elements of Postmodernism in Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo, Don Delillo's White Noise, Toni Morrison's Beloved and Thomas Pynchon's the Crying of Lot 49
Introduction
Postmodernism as a term and a philosophy represents a wide range of various concepts and ideas. Perhaps the central achievement of postmodernism is the "consideration of difference," an insistent attention to the local cultures and undervalued constituencies that modernism's exaltation of unity and grand narrative often obscured, which can easily be observed by reading and analyzing some of the most important works of American postmodern fiction. Works such as Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo, Don DeLillo's White Noise, Toni Morrison's Beloved and Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 are only a few of many which contain all or some of postmodernism's most distinguishable elements.
Throught these four novels one can perceive the concepts of potmodernism, from its assault upon traditional narratives to the role of the individual in an impersonal, emotionless society. The narrative techniques applied by the authors are entirely consistent with the postmodern strive to break up the structure of the text and to involve the reader and give him a significant role in the creation process. White Noise is abundant in lists of three products or brand names which are used as a method of disruping the narrative. In Reed's Mumbo Jumbo the text begins and ends as if it were a movie script, with credits, a fade-in, and a freeze-frame. This is followed by a closing section that mimics a scholarly book on social history or folk magic by citing a lengthy bibliography. In addition, the entire story is heavily illustrated throughout with drawings, photographs, and collages, all of which is incorporated with the sole purpose of stepping outside the boundaries of traditional narrative techniques. Toni Morrison shifts points of view and merges narratives of different characters and this way disrupts the linear plot.
The language used in the novels is consistent with the characteristical language of the society and is often criticized as too
Postmodernism as a term and a philosophy represents a wide range of various concepts and ideas. Perhaps the central achievement of postmodernism is the "consideration of difference," an insistent attention to the local cultures and undervalued constituencies that modernism's exaltation of unity and grand narrative often obscured, which can easily be observed by reading and analyzing some of the most important works of American postmodern fiction. Works such as Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo, Don DeLillo's White Noise, Toni Morrison's Beloved and Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 are only a few of many which contain all or some of postmodernism's most distinguishable elements.
Throught these four novels one can perceive the concepts of potmodernism, from its assault upon traditional narratives to the role of the individual in an impersonal, emotionless society. The narrative techniques applied by the authors are entirely consistent with the postmodern strive to break up the structure of the text and to involve the reader and give him a significant role in the creation process. White Noise is abundant in lists of three products or brand names which are used as a method of disruping the narrative. In Reed's Mumbo Jumbo the text begins and ends as if it were a movie script, with credits, a fade-in, and a freeze-frame. This is followed by a closing section that mimics a scholarly book on social history or folk magic by citing a lengthy bibliography. In addition, the entire story is heavily illustrated throughout with drawings, photographs, and collages, all of which is incorporated with the sole purpose of stepping outside the boundaries of traditional narrative techniques. Toni Morrison shifts points of view and merges narratives of different characters and this way disrupts the linear plot.
The language used in the novels is consistent with the characteristical language of the society and is often criticized as too