MODERNISM and POSTMODERNISM

In my essay I want to discuss the main similarities and differences between Modernism and Postmodernism, based on two novels: Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway and the novel of Julian Barnes, Flauberts Parrot. I want to give a definition to each of the terms: modernism and postmodernism, to talk about these two novels and after that, to find differences and similarities between them. Modernism emphasizes the imminence of death, of pain and sorrow, while Realism only describes the world how it is trying to get as close as possible to reality. If Realisms role is to show how the world is, then Modernism tries to show how the world changes the human being, how it affects peoples thinking, habbits and beliefs. The world is no longer in the center of attention, but the human being. An aspect that made Modernism break from Realism and to lead to Postmodernism is the world in movement, in constant movement, with technology rapidly evolving and with the industrialization, the face of cities and people from them was changed, it is only natural that this phenomenon will be treated in novels. Like the changes were made in cities, in literature we can observe a change in themes and style, with Modernism the themes approached are connected with the passing of time, the change in the world and also in people, death and its fast coming. The world is an inner image, it is related through the eyes of the individual. Subjectivity is on the top, the analysis of the human thought and his actions becomes important with the new literary movement. In modernism the changes were made not only in literature but in cities, people changes too, the mentality, the image of the world. Postmodernism differs from Modernism through the fact that people have to think harder to get to the essence of what the piece of art is. I see it as a way in which a creator can shape his own thoughts in a form that is not easy to understand and this intellectual work, by which the viewer interprets the piece of art, represents Postmodernism. Postmodernist developed the idea of society, of how the individual moved in it, how he was relating himself to it, they developed political and philosophical ideas. Postmodernism is not a image on the subject, but the idea of that subject. Postmodernism is importantly not a philosophical movement, not a movement like the modernism, but incorporates a number of philosophical methods that can be considered postmodern.

Virginia Woolf`s novel Mrs. Dalloway is a Modernist piece of writing characteristics. She uses free indirect discourse to tell the story of Mrs. Dalloway, of how she plans a party, how she deals with the people surrounding her and also, to tell the story of Septimus, the man that kills himself and influences Clarissa Dalloway`s thoughts about death. The author, Virginia Woolf uses flashbacks, some specific images triggers Clarrisa Dalloway`s memories and she passes from a moment to another quite rapidly, as in the case with the car where the action is seen from her point of view and then from Septimius`s point of view. All the reader have access to the world from every character`s point of view, Virginia Woolf uses this technique to create a complex novel, the truth can never be obtained, all the reader has his subjective thoughts. Julian Barnes`s novel, Flaubert`s Parrot is a Postmodernist novel, it describes the life of this great author, his success, and also his failures and the death of his friends that marked him. A major theme that obsess Postmodernist writers is history, they want to detach themselves from it, to deconstruct every form and pattern that has been used before. This theme is also found in Julian Barnes novel. He wants to detach from history, from forms and patterns that was used. Like Virginias work this novel is marked by subjectivity as Geoffrey Braithwaite tries to find the real parrot, he eventually realise that the parrot can be one of the fifty displayed. Postmodernism is defined through Modernism, it takes it further, it deconstructs all the works and ideas previously created. Like Modernism, Postmodernism is characterised by subjectivity, the thoughts of the characters are plainly stated, the reader has full access to them, to interpret them and judge them. The reader can understand both Clarissa Dalloway and Geoffrey Braithwaite through their ideas of life and death. Both novels are subjective works, both literary movements are concerned with theories about death and life, to Clarissa Dalloway this idea obsesses her and when she hears that Septimius has killed himself she feels happy for him, for not having to live anymore and to Geoffrey Braithwaite, it all comes down to Flaubert`s life and the thoughts that lead from it. It can be said that both novels hide a different meaning, they make the reader think and analyse the world and everything that happens in it. Virginia Woolf shifts from one character to another to give a full account of the action while Julian Barnes uses only one character and several quotes belonging to Flaubert.

Postmodernists are more concerned with history and they try to deconstruct previous works while Modernists are concerned with the human being that relates to the new world, they try to understand the changes that take place in the world and also in the individual.

These two novel have several differences and similarities between Modernism and Postmodernism and they can be deduced, as I showed in my essay, from the two novels, Virginia Woolf`s Mrs. Dalloway and Julian Barnes`s Flaubert`s Parrot. These two literary movements have some common characteristics, such as subjectivity and the tendency to make the reader think, but they differ through theme, Postmodernism being more concerned with history and through form, we have the thoughts of a single character on an author and on life. As a conclusion Modernism and Postmodernism are different movements, as I presented in my essay. Everyone should make the difference between these two periods.

POLAC MARIA ROMANA-ENGLEZA ANUL III