FEATURES OF POSTMODERNISM IN “TIME’S ARROW” BY MARTIN AMIS
Keywords:
postmodernism, reverse chronology, unreliable narration, metafiction, identity, memory, truth, history, narrative techniques, irony, subjectivity, intertextuality, contemporary literature.Abstract
This article examines the postmodern elements in Martin Amis’s novel “Time’s Arrow”. The study focuses on how Amis uses unique storytelling techniques, such as telling the story backward, unreliable narration, and self-aware writing, to challenge traditional ways of writing and thinking. The reverse timeline in the novel makes readers rethink the idea of time and cause-and-effect. The main character’s broken sense of identity and the unclear view of historical events reflect postmodern ideas about memory, truth, and perspective. Amis also uses humor, imitation, and references to other works to question traditional views of history and human actions, especially regarding the Holocaust. This article explains how these techniques make “Time’s Arrow” a creative and thought-provoking work that fits into the postmodern style. By exploring these features, the study helps readers understand the novel’s importance and its role in modern literature.
References
1. Amis, Martin. Time’s Arrow. New York: Vintage International, 1992, pp. 45–47.
2. Connor, Steven. The English Novel in History: 1950–1995. London: Routledge, 1996, pp. 118–120.
3. Diedrick, James. Understanding Martin Amis. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2004, pp. 98–100.
4. Head, Dominic. The Cambridge Introduction to Modern British Fiction, 1950–2000. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp. 155–157.
5. Todd, Richard. “Narrative Reversal in Time’s Arrow: A Postmodern Experiment.” Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 28, no. 1, 2005, pp. 85–88.
