THE MEETING OF THE POSTMODERN AND METAMODERN IN THE CHARACTERS OF ALI SMITH´S AUTUMN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24144/2617-3921.2020.18.262-271Keywords:
Ali Smith, postmillennial sensibility, metamodernism, postmodernism, Scottish literature, character analysisAbstract
This article introduces theories and methodologies of metamodernism and postmodernism. This article applies each of these methodologies to the main characters in Ali Smith´s Autumn (2016). The aim of this article is to prove that each of her main characters in Autumn (2016) personifies one of the two movements. Thus, this article is meant to serve as a reflection of the decline of postmodernism and the rise of postmillennial sensibility in its contemporary literary production. This article compares and contrasts the main characters of Autumn (2016). Firstly, it provides information about postmodernism and introduces the opinions of various scholars on its decline. It also presents individual takes on the fate of postmodernism and why those scholars advocate its decline. This article further presents the rise of a new postmillennial sensibility. This article focuses mainly on the movement of neoromantic metamodernism. Neoromantic metamodernism has its roots in the works of Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin van den Akker in cultural studies. From there, it has been surging into various spheres of art, including literature. This article analyses its presence in Scottish regional literature, precisely in Ali Smith´s Autumn (2016). Finally, it offers a conclusion of the representation of the two literary movements – postmodernism and metamodernism in the main characters of Ali Smith´s Autumn (2016).
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