“What are the postmodern elements of Chuck Palahnuik’s novel “Fight Club” and how do they contribute to the development of the plot, themes, character, or meaning of the novel? You may focus on one aspect or several, but no more than four.”
Recommended article: Jameson’s “Postmodernism and Consumer Society” (may be used as one article)
Brainstorming Questions:
What is postmodernism and what are its distinctive features?
Which of these features are most prevalent in Fight Club?
How do the postmodern elements further the author’s goals or the meaning(s) of the text?
How do they help show who the narrator is and how he experiences reality? What do they add to the novel or how do they impact our experience of it?
How does the novel exemplify the specific elements of postmodernism that Jameson emphasizes—the effacement of boundaries (e.g., the distinction between high/low culture), reaction to modernism, “pastiche,” and/or “schizophrenia”? How does the novel show how consumer society has changed our perception of time, space, self, and reality?
How does the novel use postmodern literary style to critique postmodern society and/or consumerism?
