This paper focuses exclusively on Postmodernism literature and analyze the 4 most common aesthetic codes. Postmodernism dismissed the central idea of modernist and avant-garde trends, which is the mythologization of existence and reality. These trends tended to create utopian or idealistic paradigms of life that transcended all forms of primitive negativity, such as violence, inhumanity, poverty, and depression.
Postmodernism holds the idea that myths are just mere creations (created by certain people) that have no basis in reality, and that these myths are often used as a form of brainwashing or social coercion, which force the masses to believe in a single form of reality and way of existing.
Postmodernism originally was a critique against Socialist Realism (the Communist myth), and now focuses on questioning and deconstructing all contemporary concepts, such as intelligence, beauty and happiness. However, Postmodernism is by no means an attempt to say that nothing in life is "real", rather, it holds an ambivalent view towards all ideas and points of view, deconstructing them, and then reconstructing them and amalgamating them into one big, playful whole.
Thus, Postmodernism holds that all ideas have potential but refuses to side with any particular idea. It seeks to form a compromise that meets somewhere in the middle between 2 extreme polar ideas, whereas previous modernist trends believed that polar opposites were incompatible.
Table of Contents
1. Russian Postmodernist Literature
Objectives and Topics
This paper aims to explore the defining characteristics of Russian Postmodernist literature by examining how authors utilize specific aesthetic codes to deconstruct traditional narratives and societal myths. Through an analysis of selected literary works, the research investigates the relationship between these artistic expressions and the historical as well as cultural context of the Soviet and post-Soviet era.
- Analysis of "emptiness" as a deconstructive aesthetic code in literature.
- Examination of "simulations" and the questioning of objective reality.
- Historiographic meta-fiction and the critique of historical narratives.
- The role of "Eclecticism" in subverting conventional beliefs and societal taboos.
- Evaluation of the unreliable narrator and non-linear, nonsensical plot structures.
Excerpt from the Book
First of all, Postmodernist literature tends to use the aspect of "emptiness", or as Ilya Kabakov called it, "garbage," which means: the inclusion of non-significant, seemingly pointless objects or events in literary works. The idea is that everything, especially concepts, can become garbage, in that they can become "undone", or deconstructed by being challenged, and having their basic structures taken apart (Kabakov, Ilya. p.54). A perfect example of a novel that displays the concept of "emptiness" is Victor Pelevin's novel titled "Zheltayastrela (The Yellow Arrow)" (1993), in which the main character Andrei spends the entirety of the book on a train with seemingly no particular destination. It just keeps on going and going throughout Eastern Europe as if it's on a permanent terrain. The passengers aboard the train are convinced that there exists no reality outside of the train. All they know is the overcrowded, dirty, and musty inside of the train. This story appears to be a critique of the modernist, utopian idea that life can only get better with time and that there is an ultimately perfect destination awaiting ahead.
It also critiques the seemingly repetitive nature of life, with new passengers being born on a daily basis, others getting married, and then finally dying aboard the train, before being tossed outside. The passengers even hold jobs, and some even get into corrupt business dealings that cause shortages of resources for all the other passengers, such as spoons.
Summary of Chapters
Russian Postmodernist Literature: This introductory section defines Russian Postmodernism as an artistic response to the ideological constraints of the Soviet era and the philosophical limitations of Modernism, establishing its core focus on deconstruction and the playful reassembly of reality.
Keywords
Postmodernism, Russian Literature, Deconstruction, Emptiness, Simulations, Meta-fiction, Historiography, Eclecticism, Victor Pelevin, Vladimir Sharov, Sasha Sokolov, Aesthetic Codes, Soviet Realism, Unreliable Narrator, Narrative Structure
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on analyzing the primary aesthetic codes utilized in Russian Postmodernist literature to challenge and deconstruct established realities.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The central themes include the concept of "emptiness," the simulation of reality, the parody of historiography, and the use of eclecticism to subvert social and cultural norms.
What is the primary objective of this research?
The primary objective is to demonstrate how Postmodernist literature functions as a critical tool for reflecting upon, questioning, and deconstructing historical and contemporary concepts.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author employs a literary analysis methodology, specifically focusing on the application of aesthetic codes defined by scholars like Lotman, Uspenskii, and Lipovetskii to contemporary Russian novels.
What topics are covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body examines four key features: the "emptiness" in Pelevin's work, the "simulations" found in Pelevin and Nabokov, the historiographic meta-fiction of Sharov, and the eclectic subversion of social taboos in Sokolov.
Which keywords characterize this study?
Key terms include Postmodernism, Russian Literature, Deconstruction, Simulations, Historiographic Meta-fiction, and Eclecticism.
How does the author interpret the "train" in Victor Pelevin's "The Yellow Arrow"?
The train is interpreted as a critique of modernist utopianism, symbolizing a life perceived as a repetitive, confined, and ultimately aimless journey where the passengers are deluded into believing the train is the only reality.
In what way does the novel "Sooner or Later" by Vladimir Sharov parody history?
The novel uses historiographic meta-fiction to blend historical facts with absurd, confabulated events, prompting the reader to reflect on how historical narratives are constructed and potentially distorted by a "presenticist" perspective.
Why is the narrator in "Palisandriia" considered unreliable?
The narrator, Palisandre, is unreliable because his account is deeply personal, non-linear, nonsensical, and he explicitly acknowledges his intent to "edit" the story, inviting the reader to question the validity of his perspective.
- Quote paper
- Sal Susu (Author), 2021, Russian Postmodernist Literature. Analysis of the four most common aesthetic codes, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1027366
