Postmodernism

The first time I read Cat's Cradle was in my junior year of high school. I instantly fell in love with Postmodern writers. The characters were comical, and the story was enthralling. It wasn't like other novels that I had read. This novel was a Postmodern novel. That's what drew me in.

Postmodernism first became popular after the second world war, when all the GI's returned from fighting in Europe and around in other places. Where their forefathers had championed modernism, these men returning to a world without world, took up the banner of postmodernism.

The term itself can be traced all the way back to the 17th century. However it wasn't until writers like Vonnegut and Heller that it became prevalent in society. Postmodernism can be defined as being ironic, and satirical. Usually have serious meanings and messages but shown in a playful manner. Postmodernism is often characterized by ambiguous meanings and answers. Reality is often blurred in Postmodern works.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a perfect example of a postmodern film. Satirizing the situation that was very real to people during the cold war, the movie pokes fun at the whole prospect of a nuclear war.

 

Nicholas Joshua Lycan