Postmodernism is a cultural movement which develops as a reaction to Modernism during the second half of 20^th century. While Modernism was still concerned with looking in a metaphysical reality and still believe in a fundamental truth, Postmodernism thought there isn’t a unique truth (there is non truth). Postmodernism can be also compared to Naturalism and Realism of 19^th century (represented by the work of Manzoni or Flaubert) that wanted also to depict the truth of reality. The Postmodernism coincides with globalization, that concerned international exchanges and technological development. Indeed Globalization was speed up by technological improvements. Internet made culture became more easy to access. Internet can reach everybody.

Postmodernism doesn’t distinguish between high and low art, there’s a mix of cultures. In “The hours” there’s a mixture of Modernism and Postmodernism culture.

Mr. Cunningham did not adopt a chronological sequences order because Postmodernism novels makes all time to coexist in the world of reader. From Modernism (especially from Virginia Woolf) chronological time doesn’t exist, because time is subjective. Whereas novels from Realism tell the story of one character through ordered sequences, for Modernist novel it’s not so important. To describe one character is enough to tell just one of days or present him through the stream of consciousness or interior monologue.

Realism used always the third person narrator and traditional categories, while Modernism is more experimental. Principle of 19^th century are discussed and trusts and certainties of man falls: the existence of God is debated; progress of civilization doesn’t redeem man. Also the time and space categories are considered in a new form, especially after Einstein’s theory on “relativism”. Time and space are not separated anymore, but their vision is due to the point of view adopted. The perception of the world is subjective. Humanity comes in a traditional values crisis.

Modernist reaction to this crisis consists in finding other ways for giving sense to life. One of these ways is the “quest”, the investigation. Artist’s investigation involves a formal quest (Picasso, for example, is an experimenter of new artistic forms). In literature modernism uses many experimental devices as the manipulation of time in novel (archetype of this style is 18^th century novel “Tristam Shandy” by Laurence Sterne that is the starting point for modern novelists), the technique of stream of consciousness (where the narrator describe thoughts of characters as they appear in their minds), the interior monologue or the variation of the point of view.

Further Postmodernism renounces to the “quest” because it disbelieve in stable trusts or characters, because it  rejects the idea of “self made” man. Postmodernism and Modernism are in dialogue each others.