Influences of Postmodernism
In the Beginning
Canterbury Tales written by Georgery Chaucer, is a medieval collection of poems and short stories written around 1387 to 1400. Chaucer uses postmodern elements to show the distorted personalities of various medieval characters. He does this by having the characters share stories to illustrate the vast differences in all of them; by doing so it shows how people were portrayed in that time, and he puts his playful twist on them. He uses Irony, intertextuality, and faction to blur the lines of what could be real but also might not be.
Part Uno - Irony
Medieval postmodern
The monk is supposed to be a humble servant who aims to lead people to God. In the prologue he is described as “A
manly man, to be an Abbot able; Many a dainty horse he had in stable. His bridle, when he rode, a man might hear Jingling in a whistling wind,“(Pg 7.). Chaucer uses irony to show how the monk isn't following the typical monk lifestyle of being poor and humble, instead, he chooses to live life as a noble.
They Don't Bite
SURE, THE VELOCIRAPTORS ARE STILL ON THE LOOSE, BUT THAT’S NO REASON NOT TO REOPEN JURASSIC PARK by CARLOS GREAVES is an essay that is heavy with irony. “That said, you’ll be pleased to know that, rather than double down on our containment efforts, we’ve decided to dissolve the velociraptor containment task force altogether and focus instead on how we can get people back into the park as quickly as possible.”(Pg 2) The irony is potent in this statement. The choice to dissolve a group that can fix the problem while the problem still exists is ironic as a flashy monk who thinks he is better than everyone else. There is a sense of humor behind it all, as both the monk and the park were meant to be a funny take on people's view of others who think they know everything.
Part Dos-Intertextuality
Sources
The majority of the monk's tale is directly pulled from the bible. The purpose of his tales was to show holy men who fell from grace and use examples from the bible to do so. Like,
ADAM
Consider Adam, made by God’s finger,
And not begotten of man’s unclean seed,
He that in Eden was allowed to linger
– Now called Damascus – and had power at need Over all Paradise, save that decreed
And single trees are prohibited. Than he
None ever on earth stood higher, till his deed
Drove him to labor, Hell, and misery. (Pg 231)
He uses the postmodern element of intertextuality to give an example of what can happen when one disobeys God to show his knowledge of God, and to lead people to God simultaneously.
WWE
Semantics by NNAMDI also uses intertextuality to show the struggle of drug abuse. Using drugs is “Living like WWE Get
the belt, put it on me.”(NNAMDI). He uses this to emphasize the battle of
drug abuse. It persuades people to stay away from drugs. Connecting the two sources they both utilize an already existing source of literature to be depicted in a way to share a message. It is smart to use outside sources, especially ones that are popular or familiar to many people. It helps people understand what one is trying to say, especially if they have something to relate it to.
Part trees-Faction
It is real
The realism of the Canterbury Tales has led many to believe that it was based on true events, but it was all fiction. Although the setting was real, none of the characters of the events were real.
He had his son with him, a fine young Squire,
A lover and cadet, a lad of fire
With locks as curly as if they had been pressed.
He was some twenty years of age, I guessed.
In stature, he was of moderate length,
With wonderful agility and strength.
This shows the use of faction by giving details on a square who would be with his father, but making him the squire you would imagine in Prince Charming; blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
You have to believe me
The way that Tribute is organized makes you believe the story they're telling is true.
This is just a tribute!
You gotta believe me
I wish you were there
Just a matter of opinion
The faction lies in the storytelling. The use of faction connects the singer and listener and makes it feel more individualized like he's talking directly to us. The use of faction isn't always easy to understand right away, but the use of it always makes a story more interesting, because it leaves one wondering if a monk, a knight, and the wife of Bath are real.
Conclusion
We like to claim that literature has undergone many changes throughout time, but when you peel back the layers that scholars have put titles on; you will see that although it looks and sounds different, art is art. Everything is inspired by everything else. Wherever it is the medieval times or a story about dinosaurs and the devil, there are still connections between them both, despite being centuries apart.
Work sited
Black, Jack. “Tribute.” Epic Records, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lK4cX5xGiQ. Accessed 10 May 2024,
Chaucer, Geoffrey. from The Canterbury Tales. 1387. Translated by Nevill Coghill, myPerspectives, English Language Arts IV, Edited by Morrell, Ernst, Ph.D., et al., Pearson, 2006. pp. 230-250.
Dinosaur. “Jurassic Park Raptor.” Giphy, 2017, giphy.com/gifs/dancing-raccoon-Kpqr21kWZXt1m.
Accessed 3 May 2024.
Michelangelo, “Creation of Adam” 1501, Sistine Chapel, Vatican City.
Greaves, Carlos. “Sure, The Velociraptors Are Still on The Loose, But That’s No Reason Not to Reopen Jurassic Park.” McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: Daily Humor Almost Every Day Since 1998. McSweeney’s Publishing LLC, 6 May 2020. Accessed 10 May 2024.