CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS OF POSTMODERNISM: KEY DEFINITIONS AND LITERARY PRINCIPLES

Abstract

Postmodernism is one of the most in-depth and most controversial intellectual paradigms that have been adopted to influence the late twentieth- and early twenty-first -century literary theory as well as cultural criticism of the same. Arising as a strict counter-reaction to the fundamentals of modernism, it methodically challenges the assertions of universal truth, consistent meaning and consistent subjectivity. In the current article I take a systematic appraisal of the conceptual basis of postmodernism by defining it accurately and outlining its main principles presented in literature. The key ideas that are given special attention are fragmentation, intertextuality, metafiction, irony, and destabilization of grand narratives. The application of a qualitative, theory-based approach allows me to show how postmodern literary practices reflect and practice more general epistemological and cultural changes related to the late modernity. The findings of this investigation would indicate the postmodernism is not a monolithic doctrine but rather functions as a plastic heuristic system that challenges the processes of meaning-making in literature as well as in the society. This article can be taken as a significant input to the more comprehensive theoretical explanation of postmodernism as a critical form of investigation in literature through the systematization of its conceptual and literary aspects.