Introduction:
The postmodern period directly followed the Modernist period. It is also known as the contemporary period. This period developed right on the heels of World War II. The events of World War II such as the Holocaust, the atomic bomb, and the overall division between the world powers was a major influence to this period. With the aftermath of two World Wars the American people had to find a way to cope with a constantly changing society.
The contemporary period of literature reflects contemporary culture, which is constantly changing. Therefore, it is difficult to characterize. The authors of this period stand out, because they took risks with their writing. They wrote about controversial topics that were occurring in their society. During this period the Civil Rights Movement was developing. With men such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X leading this movement, African American rights started to be recognized by society. Although many people were fighting for African American rights there were still many people who did not want them to be a part of society. Therefore, the theme of racism was introduced into the postmodern period.
A common attempt by the authors of the contemporary period was to go against society. During this period many social issues were addressed. Arthur Miller wrote "The Crucible" which tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials. In "The Crucible" he addresses Communism and McCarthyism. J.D. Salinger wrote "The Catcher In The Rye" telling the story of a man who was searching for something pure in a corrupted society. Miller and Salinger reflect the author's attempts to go against the social norms of this period.
The authors of the postmodern period addressed the pressing issues of society. After the events of World War II Americans had mixed feelings of nationalism and skepticism. The authors of this time had the task of going against society, and restoring a sense of goodness in America once again.
The postmodern period directly followed the Modernist period. It is also known as the contemporary period. This period developed right on the heels of World War II. The events of World War II such as the Holocaust, the atomic bomb, and the overall division between the world powers was a major influence to this period. With the aftermath of two World Wars the American people had to find a way to cope with a constantly changing society.
The contemporary period of literature reflects contemporary culture, which is constantly changing. Therefore, it is difficult to characterize. The authors of this period stand out, because they took risks with their writing. They wrote about controversial topics that were occurring in their society. During this period the Civil Rights Movement was developing. With men such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X leading this movement, African American rights started to be recognized by society. Although many people were fighting for African American rights there were still many people who did not want them to be a part of society. Therefore, the theme of racism was introduced into the postmodern period.
A common attempt by the authors of the contemporary period was to go against society. During this period many social issues were addressed. Arthur Miller wrote "The Crucible" which tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials. In "The Crucible" he addresses Communism and McCarthyism. J.D. Salinger wrote "The Catcher In The Rye" telling the story of a man who was searching for something pure in a corrupted society. Miller and Salinger reflect the author's attempts to go against the social norms of this period.
The authors of the postmodern period addressed the pressing issues of society. After the events of World War II Americans had mixed feelings of nationalism and skepticism. The authors of this time had the task of going against society, and restoring a sense of goodness in America once again.
Harper Lee:
Nelle Harper Lee was born April 28,1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. She is the youngest of five children. The name Nelle is her grandmother's name spelled backwards. Her father was a former newspaper editor, and practiced law in the Alabama State Legislature. One time her father defended two African American men accused of murdering a white storekeeper, however both defendants were hanged.
Lee attended Monroe County High school, where she developed an interest in literature. She graduated from high school in 1944, and then attended the all female Huntingdon College in Montgomery for a year. She then transferred to the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. While there, she studied law for several years and wrote for the university newspaper. However, she never actually received a degree.
In 1949, Lee moved to New York City. She became an airline reservation agent at Eastern Airlines for the British Overseas Corps. While working as an airline agent she wrote fiction in her spare time. She befriended writer, Micheal Brown and his wife joy sometime later after moving to New York. In December of 1956 the Brown's gave Lee a gift of a year's wages with a note saying she had one year off to write whatever she pleased. She wrote the novel and took it to editor Tay Hohoff. Lee and Hohoff rewrote the novel for two and a half years before finally publishing it. This is where she opted to go by Harper Lee rather than Nelle, so it would not be misinterpreted as "Nellie". "To Kill A Mockingbird" was published July 11, 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961, the "best novel of the century" in 1999, and continues to be a bestseller with thirty million copies in print.
The events and characters of "To Kill A Mockingbird" were largely inspired by Lee's own life. Scout is based off of herself, a tomboy of a respected small town Alabama lawyer. Dill was inspired by Lee's childhood friend Truman Capote. Capote said that the character Boo Radley was based off of a man that lived down the street from them when they were children. Capote said the man actually left gifts in a tree, and they would go get them out of the tree. After "To Kill A Mockingbird" Lee went with Capote to Kansas to help gain research for an article about the murder of a farmer and his family. However they expanded the story, and it became Capote's bestseller "In Cold Blood".
In the last decade Lee has not published any more of her works. However she has received many more awards for "To Kill A Mockingbird". In 2006, she wrote Oprah Winfrey about her love for books as a child, and her dedication to written materials rather than electronics. In 2007, President Bush awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This award is the highest award for civilians in the US, and recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the US, world peace, culture, or other significant public or private endeavors". In 2010, President Obama awarded Lee with the National Medal of Arts. In February 2015, she announced she will be publishing "Go Set A Watchmen" in July of 2015. The story will be the sequel of "To Kill A Mockingbird", even though it was written first in 1956.
Other Important Literary Contributors:
- John Hersey: Hiroshima
- John F Kennedy: his inaugural address
- Martin Luther King Jr: "I have a dream speech"
- Julia Alvarez: "Anotjos"
- Arthur Miller: The Crucible
- Flannery O'Connor: "You Save May Be Your Own"
- William Safire: "Onomatopoeia"
Key events and timeline of this period:
- US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima:1945
- Hitler commits suicide
- Marshall Plan:1947
- First non-stop flight around the word: 1949
- DNA discovered: 1953
- Dr Seuss published The Cat In The Hat: 1957
- NASA founded: 1958
- Peace symbol created: 1958
- Bay of Pigs: 1961
- Soviet's launch first man in space: 1961
- Cuban Missile Crisis: 1962
- JFK assassinated: 1963
- MLK "I have a dream speech": 1963
- US sends troops to Vietnam: 1965
- First Super Bowl: 1967
- MLK assassinated: 1968
- Neil Armstrong becomes first man on the man: 1969
- Nixon resigns: 1974
- Berlin Wall falls: 1989
- World wide web invented: 1989
- World Trade Center bombed: 2001
- Barack Obama elected first African American President: 2008
Themes of the Postmodern Period:
The main themes of the postmodern period are family, racism, and identity. These themes are the most prominent during this period due to the social changes that were occurring during this time. The authors wanted to reflect the social issues in their works.
The theme of family is most obvious in "To Kill A Mockingbird". The Finches are a very close knit family trying to show others how to rise above racism. The theme of racism is also very prominent in "To Kill A Mockingbird". Harper Lee does an excellent job of portraying the court case in a realistic manner. Although all the evidence points to the African American man being innocent, but he is still found guilty. She presents the story in the way it would have actually happened in life.
Identity is an overarching theme throughout the entire contemporary period. Since this period developed directly after World War II many social movements were developing as well. The Civil Rights Movement developed during this time and was a major influence for works written during this time. Many works written by African Americans expressed the theme of identity as it expressed their search for where they belonged in society.
The authors of the postmodern period were striving to go against the current of society. The themes of the major works of this period show the downside of the social issues going on. The works from this period reflect the American people's search for hope in humanity and the goodness that is left in the world.