Hall-ModernLanguageStudies-2020

Modern Language Studies
Review
Reviewed Work(s): Literature After Postmodernism: Reconstructive Fantasies by Irmtraud
Huber
Review by: Emily Hall
Source: Modern Language Studies, Vol. 50, No. 1 (SUMMER 2020), pp. 96-100
Published by: Modern Language Studies
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/45388471
Accessed: 09-08-2024 08:32 UTC
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Literature After Postmodernism: Reconstructive Fantasies
Irmtraud Huber
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. 291pp. $90/paperback
Emily Hall, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
In recent years, numerous critics from Peter Boxali
engage with are still wholly postmodern. Herein lies
to Wolfgang Funk have argued that postmodernism
Huber s most provocative and convincing argument:
is dead, although the reasons behind its death are
social realism has not "replaced" postmodernism;
constantly contested and ever-shifting. For some
instead, literature after postmodernism can be defined
scholars, postmodernisms death was spurred by
by its efforts to reconstruct notions of authenticity,
global and cultural changes such as the September
history, and meaning after their deconstruction.
11th terror attack. For others, the shift toward a
The monograph is divided into two sections.
global culture, along with the technological and
The first, called "Tracing Shifts," contains two
digital changes that reshaped our perception of time
chapters, "Post-post, Beyond and Back: Literature
and communication, created a fissure between the
in the Wake of Postmodernism" and "Pragmatic
twentieth and twenty-first centuries and signaled new
Fantasies: From Subversion to Reconstruction." These
literary and cultural changes. For Irmtraud Huber,
chapters foreground the scholarly conversations
postmodernisms demise can be distilled into two
about postmodernisms end and illuminate how
interconnected issues: the institutionalization of its
various concepts such as authenticity, sincerity, and
tenets and values, especially in the classroom, and its
reconstruction have "replaced" postmodernism. The
absorption into mass culture. According to Huber,
second section of the monograph, "Reconstructive
postmodernism has lost the "oppositional stance"
Readings," contains four chapters that each explore
and subversion that first defined it (4).
a novel: Mark Z. Danielewski s House of Leaves,
Notably, Huber does not argue that the exper-
Jonathan Safran Foer s Everything is Illuminated ,
imentation and playfulness of postmodernism is
over. In fact, while scholars such as Paul Dawson
Michael Chabons The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier
have argued that authors are turning away from
methodology for drawing these writers together is
& Clay , and David Mitchells number9dream. Her
experimentalism and returning to realism, Huber
twofold. First, she creates a kind of teleology from
presents a more complicated view of how writers
a writer beginning to recognize the value of recon-
are still engaging with postmodernism. While she
structing narratives (Danielewski) to a writer fully
acknowledges that novelists like Jonathan Franzen
invested in illuminating narratives ability to offer
have suggested that postmodernism has outlived
escapism and healing (Mitchell). Second, Huber
its purpose by becoming so institutionalized, she is
locates the interest in reconstruction in works that
quick to note that even when writers have turned
combine the fantastic with mimesis. Indeed, she
back to social realism, the core ideas in their novels
explores novels that have a mimetic outer-frame
are still often based on postmodern ideologies. Thus,
story and a magical realist or supernatural inner
writers like Franzen may be using realist tenets like
frame. In doing so, she explores how these fantastic
omniscient narration, but the ideas their novels
novels are metafictional, as "they foreground the
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interplay of the real and the imaginary in the fictive"
that "[i]f all narrative acts are contingent, [then]
while challenging our notions of reality "to explore
the choice of mimetic realism at the end of the day
the creative potential of fictions" (14). The novels,
is just as valid as any anti-illusionist metafictional
according to Huber, signal a new interest in the
disruption: its just a different kind of game to play"
ways we use narrative to connect and communicate,
(26). Significantly, Huber uses Robert McLaughlins
and they reaffirm representation and reality while
scholarship to illuminate how Neo-Realist novels
resisting totalizing experiences.
posit that narratives may be contingent, but that
In "Post-post, Beyond and Back: Literature in
we still understand one another and make authen-
the Wake of Postmodernism," Huber observes how
tic connections through language. Thus, Huber s
authors such as American novelist Paul Auster are
literature review elucidates the many views on
searching "elsewhere," beyond postmodernism,
Neorealism while emphasizing the importance
for their subject matter (22). She then explores the
that language, sincerity, and authenticity play in
inherent paradox: if postmodernism suggested that
post-postmodern fiction.
we were already witnessing the "ends" of things
The second half of the chapter focuses on
(such as the representation of experience, the ability
another movement, much less defined, and Huber
to construct objective histories, and the stability
acknowledges that this blurriness arises from the
of language and communication), then how can
lack of coherence amongst the writers who are
writers envision a future beyond the so-called end
invested in what is roughly defined as New Sincerity.
of narrative? She posits that, in the wake of decon-
This movement (which is, according to some of the
struction, writers are now "recover [ing] a sense
scholars Huber cites, barely a movement) champions
of commitment and sincerity" (Huber 24). At the
the ability for writers to sincerely connect with their
same time, she acknowledges that efforts to move
audiences. Sincerity also plays an important role in
past postmodernist ideologies are wildly diverse and
the novels' subject matter, as these works value the
involve everything from publishing "fiction that is
bonds between authors and their readers and the
no longer centrally concerned with unmasking" to
bonds between the characters in the novel. This
creating optimistic if not outwardly naive texts (24).
emphasis on sincerity and optimism, particularly
The first half of the chapter explores some of
the optimistic belief that people can communicate
the many ideologies and movements after postmod-
sincerely with one another, is what separates New
ernism, one of which is Neorealism. Huber provides
Sincerity from postmodernism, with its skepticism
a useful literature review that covers an array of
about the idea that we could communicate meaning
contested critical conversations about Neorealism.
and truth to one another. Huber expands this idea by
She explores how some scholars such as Alan Kirby
exploring how sincerity shapes ideas about belief in
posit that Neorealism has no "aesthetic profile," as
contemporary literature. She examines the role belief
Neo -Realist authors only work in opposition to
plays in reconstructive literature by exemplifying
postmodern texts (25). Huber complicates these
how readers are invited to sincerely "believe" the
claims with Robert Reinfield s work on Neorealism
events that occur in the novel? Part of this argument
in which he explores how Neo-Realist texts are not
hinges on the idea that authors "surrender" to readers
working in opposition to postmodernism, but instead
through "authorial humility and self-depreciation"
have internalized aspects of postmodernisms views
(38). Huber probably understands authorial humility
on representation and acknowledge the limitations
as the author humbly asking the reader to accept
of mimesis. At the same time, Neo-Realists insist
the optimistic desire to believe sincerely. That said,
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this idea is repeated a few times in this chapter and,
fantastic for their agenda" (53). Even so, she suggests
even though Huber refers to Wolfgang Funk, who
that the subversive powers of fantasy have been
wrote about this subject extensively in The Literature
dulled as they have become somewhat mainstream.
of Reconstruction, Huber never quite illuminates
In the face of fantasy's waning abilities to subvert,
how and when authors humble themselves to their
she posits that critics need a new way of approaching
readers, an oversight that obscures the ideas she
fantasy. If studies on fantastic literature typically
hopes to clarify. Nevertheless, Huber effectively
raise epistemological questions about the reliability
situates her own argument about the future of
of the "depicted world" and ontological concerns
literary post-postmodernism amongst all these
about "what kind of world" is presented, then Huber
various movements, and she argues that this future
suggests that a third, pragmatic approach should
is shaped by notions of reconstruction. If meaning,
emerge that prompts us to question how the reader
history, and communication were all deconstructed
is supposed to react to these kinds of questions (59).
by postmodernists, then post-postmodernists want to
She argues that reconstructive works interrogate this
reconstruct these notions, and they sincerely believe
third, pragmatic mode, as they explore how the reader
that they can communicate meaning to readers. She
confronts epistemological and ontological shifts.
claims that focusing on reconstruction allows her to
While such a concept could become unwieldy
in the hands of another scholar, Huber uses Yann
circumvent siding with a particular "movement," and
instead allows her to examine authorial desires that
Martels The Life of Pi as an example of a reconstruc-
span many interests and movements. Her decision
tive text that illuminates the importance of readers
to read across literature rather than illuminate a
navigating particular choices by contrasting mimesis
specific moment is thoughtful and well-defended,
with fantasy. At the end of The Life of Pi, readers are
especially since the field of twenty-first century
left with two possible readings: either Pi did travel
studies is something of a palimpsest of competing
across the ocean on a ship filled with predatory
visions of the present. By avoiding aligning herself
animals or he traveled with the human survivors of
with a specific movement, Huber guarantees that
a shipwreck. Huber argues that this choice, which is
the work will not be quickly outdated.
left for readers to decide, does not present either pos-
Huber develops her notion of reconstruction
sibility as accurate. Instead, it presents two possible
in the second chapter, "Pragmatic Fantasies: From
readings (a mimetic or a fantastic one) to emphasize
Subversion to Reconstruction." She specifically
examines novels that contrast mimesis and its
the "responsibility of choice" by pressuring the reader
to decide between the two alternative readings (65).
emphasis on accuracy against fantasy and its embrace
Significantly, Huber maintains that in a postmodern
of the impossible, and she explores how various
work, readers' choices are framed as meaningless
contemporary novelists contrast the mimetic and
the fantastic in order to interrogate storytelling
because texts continuously defer meaning, while
a reconstructive text invites readers to assess the
and readerly responsibilities. Here, she argues
implications of telling and reading stories. In doing
that the return to mimesis is a reaction against the
so, the reconstructive "novels self- critically' question
subversion of fantasy, a category that refers to a
the uses and effects of the fictive, its consolatory
broad range of texts from popular fantasy to magical
power, its affinity to escapism, its ability to provoke
realism. Huber argues that critics who "favour and
thought and action, to misguide and to reveal" (65).
emphasise subversion and counter-discourse [...]
Reconstructive works thus highlight the fictiveness
have frequently acknowledged the potential of the
of the story, not to emphasize its constructiveness
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like a postmodern text but to remind us of the
of magical realism and imagined scenarios - with
power of story and readerly responsibilities. This is
its mimetic deception of the protagonist traveling
a provocative argument and undoubtedly will have
to Ukraine. She notes that this mimetic frame
great influence for scholars studying literature after
describes real-life trauma and, in doing so, refutes
postmodernism, as it usefully contrasts the problems
postmodern skepticism, as the novel asserts that "the
with postmodernisms legacy and its emphasis on
primary focus is not the possibility or impossibility
doubt and ambivalence towards a post-postmodern
of their [traumatic experiences] representation and
present that emphasizes notions of sincerity and
comprehension" (117). Significantly, Huber never
responsibility.
refutes the notion that the novel "plays" with the
In the chapters that follow "Pragmatic Fantasies,"
past; however, she clarifies that "the past is indeed
Huber locates reconstructive agendas in each of the
opened to creative interpretation, but only as long
four novels she examines. The chapters can easily be
the latter remains within the self-declared bounds
read independent of one another, which could be
of fiction" (117). In other words, reconstructive
useful for a graduate class if the instructor wanted to
literature still pulls from postmodern historical
assign a reading on any number of the reconstructive
playfulness but it contextualizes, and delimits, the
topics and authors Huber examines. The first close
boundaries of this playfulness. This controversially
reading is "Leaving the Postmodernist Labyrinth:
suggests that reconstructive literature can "look" like
Mark Z. Danielewski s House of Leaves ." While
historiographie metafiction, so we must consider
Danielewskis novel has long been considered an
whether this metafiction is framed by mimetic
exemplary postmodern work, Huber s analysis of
fiction to understand how the author presents the
its reconstructive agenda provides a fresh reading.
historical message.
She argues the fantastic elements in the story (a
The third chapter, "Escaping Towards History:
labyrinthine, empty house) evoke postmodernisms
Michael Chabons The Amazing Adventures of
nihilism and the absence of meaning. In contrast to
Kavalier & Clay? explores how Chabons novel
this nihilism, Huber suggests, is the constant reaffir-
demonstrates a keen interest in mimesis over the
mation of the power of story and communication.
ruptures of postmodernism. She observes that the
Characters repeatedly strive to tell their histories
fantastic sections within The Amazing Adventures
and, in turn, the reader connects the many disparate
of Kavalier & Clay never "expose and evoke what
voices and experiences, filling the postmodern void
lies beneath" reality and instead serve as "escape [s]
with a return to "stories and connections" (102).
from" the trauma of the past (151). Hence, literature
Huber builds upon this notion of reconstructing
can be used as an escape from reality. At the same
communication after postmodernism and post-
time, Huber notes that the historical fiction novel
structuralism in the next chapter, "The Quest for
does, in its more mimetic frame, occasionally employ
Narrative Reconstruction: Jonathan Safran Foer s
elements of historiographie metafiction (particularly
Everything is Illuminated ." This chapter reclassifies
by using transworld characters), but it never calls
Foer s text as a reconstructive work by refuting the
attention to these metafictional -practices, suggesting
notion that the novel is a work of historiographie
that the novel rejects postmodern concerns about
metafiction and instead positing that the texts
the textuality of the past. She posits that the novels
"main focus lies on the processes, forms and effects
unabashed use of postmodern techniques while
of writing (and reading) in the present" (115). She
refusing to yield to postmodern skepticism signals
contrasts the novels "fantastic" elements - its use
a shift from "truth" to "trust" (159). If postmodern
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writers questioned our ability to write about historical
by arguing that female contemporary novelists rarely
truths, then post-postmodern writers aim to convince
blend mimesis with fantasy, although she does note
readers to trust that they are writing as faithfully
that Margaret Atwood, Nicole Krauss, and A. S.
about the past as possible. Part of what Chabons
Byatt have written works that come close to conveying
novel does, according to Huber, is reconstruct this
a reconstructive agenda. One cannot help but be a
pact of trust with readers by suggesting that, while
bit disappointed by Huber s justification: if women
authors do need to rely on texts to describe the
and writers of color rarely mix fantasy and mimesis
past, fiction can in some way work to capture the
in the same manner as white male writers, then
experiences of the Real.
perhaps Huber s own definition is overly restrictive.
Huber returns to notions of fictional escapism
While she understandably needed to limit her own
in the last chapter, "Dreaming of Reconstruction:
exploration of reconstruction to a few exemplary
David Mitchells number9dream ." She observes how
writers, and no critic can account for every writer s
Mitchell combines a variety of genres to "establish
approach to a literary trend, limiting the monograph
different kinds of fictional communication" (183).
to male writers and admitting that many female
The fantastic elements in Mitchells novel highlight
writers do not fit into her conceptualization of fantasy
the protagonists repeated lapses into daydreams.
and mimesis may make it difficult for other scholars
These daydreams often break into the mimetic
to apply the ideas she raises to their own work. At
sections of the novel. However, Huber argues that
the same time, the monograph poses a challenge to
these breaks are not meant to demonstrate the
scholars to locate reconstructive efforts in fiction
instability of reality but to prompt the reader to
by women writers and writers of color as their works
think about how reality is suffused "with dreams,
undoubtedly also emphasize notions of readerly
addressing not only the dangers of this fusion but
responsibility and reaffirm the ability for literature
also the potential of dreams to transform and to
to tell our stories.
create" (187). She suggests that the novel partly
resolves these tensions by emphasizing that the
protagonist is always aware that his daydreams are
just fictional constructions. Thus, his sense of reality
is never truly disturbed by the onslaught of dreams.
Furthermore, she finds the novels use of diverse
genres a testament to the creative possibilities of
fiction, which is, again, a departure from the kinds
of exhaustion that postmodern works espouse.
Through these close readings, Huber provides
fresh readings of works that have long been consid-
ered hallmarks of postmodernism. This thesis, in
conjunction with her ideas on how literature is
moving away from postmodernism towards reconstruction, proves an exciting and significant contribution to post-postmodern studies. However, in her
conclusion, Huber acknowledges that she focuses
exclusively on male writers and justifies this decision
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