THE ROLE OF PARODY IN POSTMODERN LITERATURE
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parody, postmodern literature, deconstruction, genre, authenticity, fragmentation.##article.abstract##
Parody serves as a pivotal mechanism in postmodern literature, enabling authors to critique, deconstruct, and recontextualize established narratives and genres. This article explores the multifaceted role of parody within the postmodern literary landscape, examining its functions in challenging authority, questioning authenticity, and blurring the boundaries between high and low culture. By analyzing key works from authors such as Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, and David Foster Wallace, we highlight how parody not only serves as a tool for humor and satire but also as a means of exploring deeper philosophical questions about meaning and representation in a fragmented world. Ultimately, this examination underscores the significance of parody as a defining characteristic of postmodern literature. By analyzing its various functions and implications, we gain insight into how parody not only entertains but also provokes critical thought about the nature of narrative, identity, and cultural representation in a postmodern society.
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REFERENCES:
1. Pynchon, T. (1973). Gravity's Rainbow. Viking Press.
2. DeLillo, D. (1985). White Noise. Viking Press.
3. Wallace, D. F. (1996). Infinite Jest. Little, Brown and Company.
4. Hutcheon, L. (1985). A Theory of Parody: The Teachings of Twentieth-Century Art Forms. University of Toronto Press.
5. Jameson, F. (1991). Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism Duke University Press.
6. McHale, B. (1987). *Postmodernist Fiction*. Routledge.
7. Genette, G. (1997). *Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation*. Cambridge University Press.
