Post-Modern Literature: Introduction, Theory, Background
Until the 1920s, the term modern meant new or contemporary, but after that, it referred to the period between the two World Wars (1914-1945). Following this period, the term post-modern emerged, indicating the era after modernism. This naming is problematic as it raises questions about how many "post" terms will be used for future periods of literary history. For our purpose of discussing the history of literature, we will leave the naming issue to more qualified critics. The period between 1945 and 1965 had no consciousness of what is now called "post-modern." Critics date the period of post-modernism from the mid-1960s, with some extending it to the 1980s. Dealing with contemporary literature is challenging because the closer we are to an object, the more details we see. With distance, the outline becomes clearer. Critics have noted historical changes in literary styles from decade to decade and from author to author. It may take another half a century to make broader ge…