doi:10.18503/2658-3186-2025-9-4-54-62
Abstract. This article explores the origins and development of American postmodernist fiction, tracing its evolutionary trajectory. The study identifies two distinct periods in American postmodern literature: the early phase (1950s-1980s) and the late phase (1990s-present). Both periods are examined through their key figures (J. Barth, T. Pynchon, S. Bellow, T. Morrison, P. Auster, D.F. Wallace, S. Hustvedt, among others) and their prominent works presented in chronological order. The article analyzes the artistic techniques used by writers, as well as the characteristic features of early American prose, such as intertextuality, fragmentation, irony, parody, travesty, pastiche, phantasmagoria, and intermediality. In the later period, these features not only persist but also evolve into new forms of artistic expression. Various formal experiments play a crucial role in this process. The article also outlines the potential for the development of this literary movement. The article examines key terms that describe the latest trends in world literature, such as "metamodernism," "automodernism," "altermodernism," "hypermodernism," and others. The author favors the term "metamodernism" because it emerged from postmodernism and has since taken center stage in the cultural landscape.
Keywords: evolution of postmodern fiction; “black humor” school; narrative techniques; intertextuality; fragmentation; intermediality; play
Information about the author
Kashkan T. A., senior lecturer of the department of the English language for natural science faculties, faculty of social and cultural communications, Belarusian State University.
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For citation: Kashkan T. A. Formation and Evolution of American Postmodern Prose, Gumanitarno-pedagogicheskie issledovaniya = Humanitarian and pedagogical Research, 2025, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 54–62. (In Russ.), doi:10.18503/2658-3186-2025-9-4-54-62.