Modernism                                                                            Post-Modernism

 

-it develops from 1910 to the middle of 1930                       -it develops since the Sixties onward

- it is a cosmopolitan movement                                           -it may be considered a reaction against the

-it represents a reaction to the traditional standards            certainty in reason

-it can be considered like a response to a sense of social    -fundamental point there isn’t the possibility to

breakdown                                                                             know anything

-it questions the purpose of art because it breaks with       -meaning is never stable

  the tradition                                                                        -it abolishes the difference between low and

-there is a break from and with the past                                high art

-meaning is subjective                                                           -in the literature:

-in the literature: uses images, symbols, a colloquial              in literature: it rejects Western values,

 languageà special medium to influence people                       intertextual nature, disposses central position of

-narrators located within the action of the fiction                   writer, identity of character changing

-events are presented in a personal and particular               -doesn’t give to the readers certain meanings or

 perspectiveàshift of point of view, indirect style                      suggest conclusion

-art attempts to imitate or represent reality                           -postmodern writers create works in which the              

- characters: quest of truth and meaning, the role of              readers supply their connection, meanings and

the self in the world                                                                 interpretations

 

Modernism develops from 1910 to the middle of 1930. In this period there is an important event as the First World War and this reason Modernism is a cosmopolitan movement. Modernism represents a reaction to the traditional standards and it may be considered as a reaction to social breakdown. Differently Postmodernism develops since the Sexties, in the period after the Second World War.

Postmodernism may be considered as the reaction against the reason’s certainty.

Modernism questions the purpose of art because it breaks with tradition and there are ideal vision of human life and society. On the other hand Postmodernism abolishes the difference between low and high art because it is accessible for all the people.

Modernism believes in the possibility to find the truth to have some certainties in human life, moreover Postmodernism doesn’t believe in the existence of an absolute meaning because it is never stable but always slippery.

Modernism literature uses images and symbols, a colloquial language and this is a special medium to influence people. The modernism writers shows events from multiple( personal and particular) perspective and it implies shift of point of view and it is free indirect style. Postmodernism literature has intertextual nature, it disposses the central position of writer and the identity of the characters change during the story and it rejects Western values because are nothing in life is unique.

The main characters of Modernism is the quest of truth and meaning and the role of the self in the world. Differently Postmodernism doesn’t believe in the existence of an absolute truth.