Here's a breakdown of this characteristic:
* Rejection of Grand Narratives: Postmodern literature often questions the idea of a single, overarching story that explains everything. This could be a historical narrative, a religious narrative, or even a scientific narrative. Instead, it embraces the idea that there are multiple perspectives and interpretations of reality.
* Deconstruction of Universal Truths: Postmodern writers often explore the idea that there are no absolute truths. They might challenge traditional beliefs, ideologies, and societal norms. This can be seen in the use of irony, satire, and playful language.
* Focus on Fragmentation and Subjectivity: Postmodern literature often presents a fragmented and subjective view of the world. The story might jump between different timelines, perspectives, and styles. This can be confusing and disorienting for the reader, but it also forces them to engage with the text in a more active and critical way.
Examples of how this characteristic is manifested in Postmodern literature:
* Use of unreliable narrators: The story might be told from the perspective of a character who is mentally unstable, biased, or simply mistaken. This forces the reader to question the truth of the narrative.
* Blurring of fiction and reality: Postmodern literature often blurs the line between what is real and what is imagined. This can be achieved through the use of metafiction, where the story is self-aware and comments on its own fictional nature.
* Playing with language: Postmodern writers often experiment with language, using puns, wordplay, and other forms of linguistic play to challenge the reader's assumptions and expectations.
This rejection of grand narratives and universal truths is a defining characteristic of Postmodern literature, making it a challenging but ultimately rewarding experience for the reader.