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American literature after World War 2
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Recommended: American literature after World War 2
The Modern era is classified as the period that started as the World War I ended. There where huge changes in technology. International corporations began to rise in power. They began to “westernize” with values, such as the appeal to industrialization, personal political rights, democracy, a background of knowledge in mass and education, private ownership of the means of production, the scientific method, public institutions, a questioning in God, and the independence of woman. Then by the year 1939 the Second World War took place and as it ended a new literary period began to form. A new period that dates from around the year 1945 to the present day is called Postmodernism. Postmodernism is difficult to define since there are not so many agreement on certain characteristics, and importance of the postmodern literature. This period consists on a development or departure from the modernism. Postmodern literature is much well characterized by the fragmented collection of high and lows in culture that represents the absence of tradition in the world of consumerism. Postmodernism is a time in which authors reject Western values as just only being a small part of the human experience in life. Postmodernism celebrates incoherence, fragmentation and provisional, in contrast of Modernism. The vigor of contemporary literature lies in its cultural diversity, in its enthusiasm for mixing fiction with nonfiction, and in their extraordinary sense of plays. Postmodern literature comments upon itself and uses images from the past fearlessly. Fiction writers of this period allow for multiple meanings and multiple worlds in their works. This can be seen in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger.
Jerome David Salinger was the son of...
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“J.D. Salinger Biography.” Bio. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1994-2009. 28 February 2010. 20 March 2010. .
Klages, Mary. “Postmodernism.” English 2010. 21 April 2003. 15 March 2010. .
Legget, John et al. “Contemporary Literature.” Elements of Literature: Literature of the United States. 7th ed. New York: Holt Rinehart Winston, 2000. 904-906.
“madness.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc., 27 March 2010. .
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 1991.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “The Catcher in the Rye.” Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. 28 Feb 2010. .
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1991. Print.
Due to J.D Salinger’s personal and relatable narrative treatment, Catcher in the Rye continues to engage audiences, even 64 years after it was first published. The way the book deals with alienation and disillusionment in regards to Holden’s past trauma - through the closeness of first person narration and conversational writing among other techniques - creates a personal connection to Holden’s character and helps adolescents relate his troubles to their own.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1991. Print.
Perkins, Geroge, and Barbara Perkins. The American Tradition in Literature. 12th ed. Vol. 2. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1991. Print.
Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.
American Literature is widely known for possessing themes of disillusionment. Faulkner, Harper Lee, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway dominate this category of literature. However, the most influential piece of American Literature is arguably J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. What makes this piece of art stand so far out from any other work of literature is the attributes that make this novel so relatable. The source of this raw, real emotion that completely captivates the reader is Salinger himself. The Catcher in the Rye ‘s main character Holden Caulfield is undeniably Salinger. This work of fiction nearly resembles an autobiography. J.D. Salinger uses his novel to express his disillusionment through motifs, pathos, and symbols.
Updike, John. "A&P." Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw, 2002. 27-31.
Salinger, J. D.. The Catcher in the Rye. [1st ed. Boston: Little, Brown, 19511945. Print.
Wildermuth, April. "Nonconformism in the Works of J.D. Salinger." 1997 Brighton High School. 24 November 2002. <http://ww.bcsd.org/BHS/english/mag97/papers/Salinger.htm>
Perkins George, Barbara. The American Tradition in Literature, 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
DiYanni, Robert. "Literature, Reading Fiction, Poetry and Drama." Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. Boston: McGraw Hill, 1973. 743-749.
Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2013). Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and
In the 1950s, authors tended to follow common themes, these themes were summed up in an art called postmodernism. Postmodernism took place after the Cold War, themes changed drastically, and boundaries were broken down. Postmodern authors defined themselves by “avoiding traditional closure of themes or situations” (Postmodernism). Postmodernism tends to play with the mind, and give a new meaning to things, “Postmodern art often makes it a point of demonstrating in an obvious way the instability of meaning (Clayton)”. What makes postmodernism most unique is its unpredictable nature and “think o...
Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG125.10.2/sections/sec2.3