The literary period following the Modernist movement is the contemporary era, sometimes called Postmodernism. Postmodernism differs from Modernism in that it is skeptical of themes or explanations that are valid for all groups, cultures, traditions, or races. Postmodernism is sort of like Modernism all grown up. Both movements use nontraditional and unconventional writing and formatting methods, but postmodernism takes things a step further; it breaks down the realities and themes already inherent in modernism and tries to make it more relevant to specific individuals. Postmodernism involves celebrating differences, being truly individualistic, and writing about social issues. In addition, Postmodernism also re-incorporates some of the principles of Romanticism and Gothic writing to demonstrate themes creatively. Postmodernism also plays even more with fictional and nonfictional forms, sometimes fusing the two together into completely new genres.

 

Alice Walker

Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia to sharecroppers Willie Lee and Minnie Lou Grant Walker. Alice Walker often credits the spirit of hard work and determination instilled within her by her parents for her success and inspiration. She attended Spelman College and Sarah Lawrence College, during which time she became active in the Civil Rights Movement. After college, Walker worked as both a social worker and a teacher. She enjoyed moderate success as a writer and poet early on, but her literary career took off with the publishing of her third novel, The Color Purple, in 1982. With this novel, Walker won both the prestigious Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for Fiction in 1983. Three years later, the novel was made into a movie featuring big name actors such as Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, and Oprah Winfrey. Walker shows no signs of slowing down as she continues her career as both a political activist and prolific writer.

Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) was born in Boston to Polish and Austrian immigrants. Her early life was studded with achievement and success. Plath was first published in Seventeen magazine in 1950 before winning a scholarship to Smith College. By all accounts, Plath flourished in her early years in college and enjoyed an active campus life. The first serious sign of the emotional turmoil that would later consume her work and eventually take her life came at the end of a summer internship with Mademoiselle magazine in New York where she attempted suicide. Plath eventually returned to college and her career after a period of psychiatric treatment. Plath married fellow poet Ted Hughes, and the couple had two children. However, Plath once again fell prey to the manic depression with which she struggled most of her adult life. In February of 1963, separated from her husband and living in an unheated apartment in London, Plath again attempted suicide and did not survive.

You can learn more about Sylvia Plath in the video, The Poetry of Sylvia Plath, from eMediaVA℠.

Anne Sexton

Anne Sexton (1928–1974) was born in Newton, Massachusetts in 1928. Sexton attended Garland Junior College and did not start writing poetry until the mid-1950s, in part as a form of treatment and therapy for the mental illness with which she struggled for many years. Although coming relatively late to a writing career, Sexton wrote furiously and with a dedication that brought forth poems that were at once both extremely personal and politically inclined. Her poems often focused on the issues of women and their place or image in society. While her poetry was received with enthusiasm by readers, such raw and personal content often brought with it much critical controversy. Despite critical reviews and controversy, Sexton won the Pulitzer Prize in 1967 for Live or Die. On October 4, 1974, Sexton committed suicide by carbon-monoxide poisoning.

 

Postmodernism Review

Now that you have explored characteristics of Postmodernism, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Read the characteristics of literary movements on each slide and select the characteristic of Postmodernism. Click on the player button to get started.

 

Grammar: Faulty Parallelism, Faulty Comparisons, and Wordiness

It is important to be able to write and speak correctly in both academic and professional settings. How you speak and write informally to your peers is your choice, but the people with whom you interact in formal professional settings will expect advanced language skills from you to avoid miscommunication. Learning a few rules will help you to perform better on writing assignments in classes and improve your communication skills for your career. The more properly you can speak and write, the better chance you will have of being successful. Take some time now to review three common errors in language: faulty parallelism, faulty comparisons, and wordiness.

Faulty Parallelism

Errors in parallelism involve the position and relation of words, meanings, and forms of words in a sentence. The phrases in a sentence must be parallel in agreement, direction, and comparison. Observe how the incorrect sentences below can be corrected to make the sentence parallel.

Faulty Parallelism	Correct Parallelism
In the mall, she bought boots, stockings, and found some gloves.	In the mall, she bought boots and stockings and found some gloves. or In the mall, she bought boots and stockings. She also found some gloves.
In a burst of emotion, the actor smiled, was snarling, grimacing, and whimpered.	In a burst of emotion, the actor smiled, snarled, grimaced, and whimpered.
The twins were busy wrapping packages and tied ribbons.	The twins were busy wrapping packages, and then they tied ribbons. or The twins were busy wrapping packages and tying ribbons.

Faulty Comparisons

Comparisons contrast at least two things using the word than. Errors in comparisons often result from missing words that clarify what is being compared.

State comparisons fully. Be sure to express the two (or more) items being compared. If you are comparing actions, remember to repeat the verb (or verbal phrase), or use the word "do."
Faulty Comparison	Correct Comparison
Automakers worry about their industry more than environmentalists.	Automakers worry about their industry more than environmentalists worry about it. or Automakers worry about their industry more than environmentalists do.
Items being compared should be comparable.
Faulty Comparison	Correct Comparison
His car is more expensive than his neighbor.	His car is more expensive than his neighbor's car.
Use any or any other appropriately.
Faulty Comparison	Correct Comparison
Los Angeles is larger than any other city in Canada.	Los Angeles is larger than any city in Canada.
Use less and fewer appropriately. Less refers to things that are collective nouns and cannot be physically counted like sunlight or raindrops; fewer refers to items that can be counted like desks or cookies. (The signs in stores should read "10 Items or Fewer.") Consider the term "countable" in its grammatical sense rather than its literal sense.
Faulty Comparison	Correct Comparison
I have less quarters than you do.	I have fewer quarters than you do.
But observe the following*: I have fewer money than you do. *Although you can count money, grammatically you would not count the word "money" and say "one money, two moneys..." like you can count quarters.	I have less money than you do.

Wordiness

Wordiness is using more words than needed to make a point. Sometimes longer phrases may be preferred for sentence variety or clarity in meaning, but often longer phrases are redundant and needlessly distract the reader. Rather than live by the maxim "the more the merrier," embrace the maxim "less is better" when it comes to writing. You can make your writing more concise by making certain that every word is necessary and chosen well. Observe the following wordy phrases below and their concise counterparts:

Wordy Phrases	Concise Phrases
absolutely essential	essential
are connected with	relate to
as a result	thus
as long as	if
at all times	always
at this time	now; currently
close proximity	proximity
consensus of opinion	consensus
despite the fact that	even though
due to the fact that	since; because
few in number	few
first and foremost	first
for the production of	to produce
for the purpose of	for; to
for the reason that	since; because
in a given	each
in an attempt (effort) to	to
in connection with	about
in order for	for
in order to	to
in point of fact	in fact
in reference to	about
in the event that	if
in view of the fact that	since; because
inasmuch as	since; because
is allowed to	can
is required to	must; should
it should be noted that	omit this phrase
more often than not	usually
not allow	prevent; preclude; forbid
not different	similar
not include	omit
on the basis of	based on
owing to the fact that	since; because
past history	history
payment made to	paid to
whether or not	whether
will be able to	can
will depend upon	depends on
will have to	must; should
with reference to	regarding
with regard to	regarding; about
with the exception of	except

Access a printable version of the tables shown above.

Grammar Review

Now that you have explored faulty parallelism, faulty comparisons, and wordiness, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Read the two versions of each sentence and select the appropriate answer. Click on the player button to get started.