Postmodernism perspective of the text

Abstract: The Vietnam War was a post-modern society, history, film chapter, a major impact on American literature. Representatives of the Vietnam War writer Brian ladder Muao accurately the pulse of the times, the narrative style of fiction from the post-modernist perspective on the Vietnam War, post-modernism characteristics: uncertainty, eliminate boundaries of reality and fiction, narrative text and Comment text compatible, perversion and other major features of space-time, text, and after the Vietnam War to find the similarity between modernism. These characteristics reveal the confusion of the Vietnam War, the nature of injustice and immorality. O'Brien therefore be writers, critics and readers of the highly acclaimed and is considered the best of today's Vietnam War U.S. novelist.
Keywords: Vietnam War, the uncertainty of post-modernism text real and fictional narrative perversion of the text and comment text space


War Literature in American literature plays an important role. Description from the American Civil War in Stephen Crane's "Red Badge of Courage" to reflect the World War I, Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms", to describe the Second World War, Norman Mailer's "The Naked and the Dead" and Joseph Heller "Heller" and so on, regardless of the depth of thought or artistic achievements are all the development and prosperity of American literature has made a significant contribution. The novel outlines the rheological characteristics of the U.S. war novel context: Klein focuses on the performance of soldiers in the war (the environment) before the loss of human subjectivity; Hemingway described efforts to bring war and ideological confusion physical and psychological trauma; and Mailer and the sea Le more to the war as a microcosm of the times and society and reveals repression of human nature, society and self-alienation and social absurdity. Description of the Vietnam War, not only covers the vast majority of American fiction features, but also for the American war literature into new content. Some Vietnam War, post-modern literary fiction by the uncertainty, the real and imaginary boundaries to eliminate, narrative text and comment text is compatible, the main features of space-time creation of perverse practices such as comprehensive review of the Vietnam War itself, the war of agent (soldier) factors outside of war, reflecting the chaos of the Vietnam War, injustice, immorality and traumatic nature of American war literature to enrich the ideological and aesthetic strategy made a great contribution. Ladder Muao Brian is written after the Vietnam War from the Perspective of the modern text of the most accomplished writer.
Vietnam War, the United States spawned a large number of writers and literary works. These works become a vital force in American war literature, they carry forward the tradition of war literature in the spirit at the same time create new meaning. Robert Stone's "Dog Soldiers" (also translated as "Desperado"), 拉里海涅曼 of "Paco's Story", Brian ladder Muao the "search for Casey Alto" are the U.S. National Book Award, is considered a classic of American literature texts, their ideological and artistic circles more and more concern and attention. Where O'Brien is currently the most talked about Vietnam academic writers (Haiyan Gan Wenping 167), and is referred to as "we have one of the best writers."
O'Brien was born in 1946, Minnesota 10. People of college when he step coincides with the outbreak of the Vietnam War, the domestic uproar. Recruitment service and to avoid military service in the two phenomena coexist in the American youth. In this atmosphere, O'Brien has been thinking of politics into a mild anti-war activist, because he thought the war was "ill-conceived and morally wrong" (Herzog 14). Therefore, he was thought to escape the United States to avoid war. However, the "obligations, upbringing, or the need for love" under the influence of various complex factors, O'Brien was reluctant to battle in 1969-1970. Even so, feel guilty because of the war has been accompanied by his emotional life. Pre-war thinking, knowledge, and the post-war battlefield, and reflection back into the source of his literary creation. The idea of ​​special qualifications and personal experience of war created the breeding ground for O'Brien in the "Vietnam complex" and prompted him to ponder his life and writing and tireless efforts to the Vietnam War.
So far, O'Brien created a total of "If I die in a war zone, packing shipping my home" (1973), "Northern Lights" (1975), "In Search of Casey Alto" (1978), "Nuclear Age" (1985), "the things they carry" (1990), "Forest Lake" (1994), "Thomas in Love" (1998) and other seven novels, l Department of story, "Vietnam in my heart" (1994) and several short stories. These novels show the reader from multiple perspectives on the Vietnam War and the people of American society and family and have a profound negative impact on individuals. More importantly, O'Brien mainly postmodern approach reveals the Vietnam War itself and the characteristics of post-modernism, the artistic and ideological work to achieve successful integration.
Postmodern Literature half of the 20th century world political pattern evolution, industrial society to develop in depth, science and technology and information technology advances, there is a product of popular philosophy thought. In the U.S., post-modern literature has become a very important literary genre, the emergence of a large number of writers, their writing style in terms of theme and made a bold and innovative attempt to provide readers with more space for new thinking.
To sum up, post-modern literature to the following main features: uncertainty, including the meaning of the text and text style attributes point to the uncertainty; eliminate the boundaries of reality and fiction, the historical facts and fiction of the imagination and set hybridity and blurred the boundaries between the two; narrative text and comment text compatible, of from time to time "into" text and talk, intentionally disclose to readers the creative act; space inversion, destruction of ecological characteristics of the original time and space to create any intertextual collage or words. Perspective from the start, you can find O'Brien successfully constructed a number of post-war modernist text.
Postmodern literature is characterized by the uncertainty of a considerable number of contemporary writers and critics of the consensus. Post-industrial era of philosophy and social thought with the previous very different ideas for people to provide opportunities for initiation of uncertainty. Critics accurately grasp the pulse of the times, made similar to their interpretation. Hassan believes that there are two post-modernism "and the nature of the main trends", one of which is the "uncertainty" (Hassan 89). In the context of post-industrial society is seen as absolute and universally accepted knowledge and truth of religion, science, art and modernist metanarratives such as a "legalization" of crisis, be questioned and challenged (Strinati 227), as Leo Tower said, "simple to the extreme, 'postmodernism' is characterized by a metanarrative of credible" (qtd.in Carroll 70). O'Brien's Vietnam novel is by far the uncertainty of post-modernism was most thorough war text.
O'Brien described by the uncertainty of the Vietnam War, first in the front and rear battlefield uncertainty. Vietnam War different from the past to any characterization of its most major battles of the "disorder" and "irregular." Rugged terrain in Vietnam, many forests, roads narrow and winding, so the campaign can not quite be in the plain, but in the "normative battlefield" other than the start, so both operations, particularly the United States can not follow the traditional "meta-narrative" mode War Strategy formulation. As Tang Ruijin Pinella Jorda later commented, in the U.S. rely on their traditional thinking and advanced combat weapons, "by contrast, is more in accordance with the Viet Cong postmodern literary methods organized" (Ringnalda 11). Specifically, although the U.S. military relies on its strong artillery forces - aircraft, artillery, tanks, machine guns and other attempts to destroy the enemy, but the Vietnamese military use of "leveraging the development effort," the routine, the use of "reverse linear equilibrium" strategy combat - the more the U.S. bombs, blow out the more bullet-proof path (Ringnalda 38), Vietnam is moving even more flexible. Therefore, the traditional weapons are no longer the only factor that determined the outcome of the war, on the contrary, it is sometimes very small factor. Yuejun weaknesses, the war to any place other than the ground, make full use of the advantages of terrain deal with each other. They are experts in their own terrain, you can put any place into a battlefield; for the U.S. military who want to fight in the plains, large display their weapons, the idea of ​​divinity already invalid. They know nothing about the terrain of Vietnam, which faces the danger of ambush at any time. In the face of these uncertainties, "In Search of Casey Alto," where the U.S. soldiers quickly realize that this is a "no front lines, no rear, no trenches neatly arranged in parallel" (O'Brien, GoingAfter Cacciato320) war . Therefore, from the characteristics of postmodern narrative perspective, this war is a nonlinear process, "writing" is "a
Topographical postmodern text "(Sheehan 679).
The second uncertainty is the battlefield performance of the "enemy" of uncertainty. Lack of field boundaries leading the U.S. military can not be easily found in nature the real enemy. U.S. military aggression in Vietnam was the popular resistance. They are for all, not only they are hidden when the time everywhere, and hidden weapons in various ways. Therefore, the U.S. military often as live unhindered and often as living in the other ocean. They can not find the real enemy, the final loss of reason, telling anyone to kill, whether young or old. No wonder that when asked in the "My Lai Massacre" in the massacre of Vietnamese mother and why even infants, some U.S. soldiers replied: "They may attack [us]. They may have a body filled with explosive grenades. The mother may throwing bombs at us "(O'Brien," The Vietnam in Me "52). In addition to the Vietnamese soldiers and civilians, there are some uncertainties of the things that has become the enemy of the U.S. military. Vietnamese make full use of artificial and natural barriers digestion power of U.S. military firepower, they will all find ways to become a weapon against the enemy so-called "authoritative discourse" of: dig, repair bunkers, the mountains, trenches, bunkers when the tree , the muddy field as a trap, the trail when the battlefield. Immersive embattled U.S.: who were often lost because of the assassination; for straying into Mai Fuquan and killed; due to extricate the die into a mud pie. "In Search of Casey Alto," the U.S. military's record of this dilemma: they are upset, fear and loss, and finally asks the Vietnamese lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Who is the real enemy soldiers, you get both a surprise and seems to be expected The answer: "only the land on behalf of soldiers. Land is your real enemy" (O'Bfien, Goingafar Cacciato 107).
Eliminate the boundaries of reality and fiction is a characteristic of postmodernism is another important manifestation of work. Metanarrative crisis naturally point to the legalization of historical text. Foucault believes that only through the reconstruction of the discourse of history makes sense (7). History is the memory of the text literature and synthesis of the literature has been recognized as the text of the history (Veeser 20), which painted its own color of real and fictional; the meaning of memory itself and the lack of clarity of the inaccuracy of the "extended differences "feature of memory" to refer to "sign in the endless pursuit of its" within the meaning of "meaning. Individual memory like this, collective memory but without the need elaboration. Vietnam War to American soldiers endless trauma. O'Brien is not only a witness to the Vietnam War, but also the memory of that history, and also the victims of war. Therefore, the history of the Vietnam War in his hand trying to write honest "record" it, on the other hand also supplemented by memory, but also the hearts of the other soldiers to try to discern the "real" history and memory of the Vietnam War. Thus, the three blend, mix of history and memory in the real and fictional.
Novel "the things they carry," is about American soldiers during the war and post-war experience of contemplation, is a Vietnam War memoirs and autobiographical works. Protagonist and narrator of the novel of the same name, also known as ladder Muao Brian. He is a writer, soldier, and the novel the narrator. He described his military life, describing his comrades and battlefield situations

Also recall their past from time to time. Many people think that this is an autobiographical work. Because the narrator of O'Brien and O'Brien who many similarities: the same 43 years of age; and his wife and a daughter living in Massachusetts; war with is to write fiction, particularly writing called "they carry things, "the novel of the Vietnam War soldiers; and is the award-winning short story" On Courage "author; endured two injury; return home and graduate students at Harvard University. But in an interview of O'Brien, said: "I put my personal characteristics into the story. I was writing them, but all are fictional, including [the novel's] comments" (Naparsteck 8). About the author I really have been to Canada-US border issues, the authors acknowledge in a lecture: The story is fictional. Thus the reader can infer that the novel is both authentic O'Brien, O'Brien is also a fictional autobiographical memoir of war, but also a combination of the two: to show the reader of three perspectives / (general) in mind that part of the soldiers war experience. What really what magic? Actual situation Nanbian. Alternatively, the actual situation is no longer important or not important is the narrator and the creator (or combined), "copy" memory when the real experience. Perhaps the reader concerned about the fact that the narrator of the novel "real", but the focus is the narrative of emotional truth, as the novel was agreed that several other soldiers, "the story into memory expression, is a past spiritual purification "(Colella 10). Therefore, O'Brien told the audience: "I want you to feel my feelings. I want you to know why the story / novel's true sometimes more real than the real place" (Herzog 30). However, to eliminate the boundaries of reality and fiction is not the intention of "game" creative, but the complexity of U.S. soldiers treated the Vietnam War mentality of the Vietnam War itself, and its effect on the many uncertainties of the soldiers, the memory state of their own characteristics, the real objective reflection.
Similar examples abound in the novel. For example, in the novel of the "Notes" section, wrote, "On Courage" (which is also a chapter) is Norman Bowker (a character in the novel) written in 1975 under the proposal. Bowker wrote to O'Brien, hoping that he write a story about myself, but can not use his real name. Bowker also said in the letter he had read O'Brien's first novel, "If I die in the war zone," and made a short commentary. Later, O'Brien said he was the wanted "On Courage" chapter into the "search for Casey Alto" in, but the latter is a war story, and "On Courage" is a story of war, which still remain in the " They carry things "in (O'Bfien, The Things They Carried 155-159). It is obvious that the above description of the actual ingredients are many: "On Courage" chapter does exist; it is "the things they carried" a chapter; "In Search of Casey Alto" really is about the war, because it records a U.S. soldiers stand guard during the meditation, memory and fantasy; "If I die in the war zone" is O'Brien's first work. However, O'Brien admitted in an interview, "everything is fiction" (Naparsteck 7-8). If the author's discourse is the "authority", then the story of Norman Bowker This figure "can mean" no sign "within the meaning of" meaning, is a fictional soldiers. He does not exist, and perhaps representatives of other soldiers, who they thought the messenger. Furthermore, on the "On Courage" chapter of the "ownership" of the problem, perhaps thinking O'Brien did not do so, but at least that when he created the distribution of information, memory, self and others choice, imagination and the possible integration and coordination made similar structure such as painting. On the other hand, if readers want to subvert the author of "authoritative discourse" - as Norman Bowker refers to symbols that can be a real presence - its real existence is also possible. In short, these "may" are likely to be true.
Compatible text and comment text narrative postmodern literature is a major practice strategy. Postmodernist fiction is a "whole narrative with a strong sense of self" in the novel (Hutcheon 113). In other words, the essence of the novel is fiction, is a meta-fiction (Gass 25). "Columbia History of American Literature," the editor of Emory Elliott simply to equate post-modernism metafiction (Elliott 198). Writer's task is to show the side of literary fiction to the reader. Many uncertain factors in the Vietnam War and the Vietnam War is hard to determine the authenticity of memory O'Brien contributed to the text created a lot of games, but they are of serious production, has become the authoritative text must be read to understand one of the Vietnam War.
Dialogue with the text of the narrative strategy of the Anglo-American postmodernism novelist John Fowles, Kurt Vonnegut, John Barth and other commonly used methods, but in novels, O'Brien is probably the most famous one. He has used most of the novel's narrative strategy of dialogue, one of the most novel feature is the "Lake of the woods."
  "Lake Forest" A total of 31 chapters, the text consists of three constitute the world. The first is described in the text world, a total of 23 chapters, of which the title of chapter 7, the same as "evidence", but the content is different; other chapters of the title is different. This section includes the hero and heroine in the woods lake of the short life of John Wade of the Vietnam War hero and its post-war memories of the negative effects of marriage, family life, his wife Kathy Wade from despair to their disappearance on , Wade and the common local police look for his wife, he disappears. They have disappeared novel's end. "Evidence" chapters by a variety of stylistic components: interview clips, memoirs, letters, history books and other literature in the book excerpt, the testimony of the soldiers, covering the topic of Wade's character on the description of the scene depicts the Vietnam War, the U.S. After violence against civilians in Vietnam, the Vietnamese people's death, Wade's guilt and psychological trauma and the negative impact on his wife, Wade personnel involved himself, wife, mother and sister, Wade's comrades, local police, and "Trauma and Recovery," Judith Herman, author of the novel "Auction 49 batch" of Thomas Pynchon and the real U.S. President Richard Nixon and other literary and historical figures. Text of the novel's second of the world is united Syria and the world. It consists of 8 titles are "if", but the content of different chapters, the reader of the whereabouts of Wade and his wife all the possibilities. The third world is 133 "Notes" constitute a "plus" world. This is the first two are both on the content of the supplement world, but also for their direct comments. The three world's three "tone" each other to form a non-linear, jumping, cross time and space constantly landscape, constitutes the entire novel. Novel "and" an end of a chapter, do not tell the reader the ultimate fate of the two protagonists.
"Notes" section although most of the "subsidiary" image appears, but has 7 comments worthy of our attention, because they are of direct "into" the voice of the text, but also about the significance of the novel point. They both identify and fuzzy meaning of other parts of the text. 7 Note that there are three particularly important, because they basically built the theme of the novel.
When one-tenth of the novel progressed, mysterious disappearance, Casey told the audience, O'Brien suddenly from the "Notes" 21 "emerging" and speak. "Yes, I am also a theoretician. Biographies of writers, historians, you - you want to call me and consequently the line - even after four years of hard work, left me and still only infer the possibility of . John Wade was a magician; He will not divulge a lot of tricks. Moreover, there is some mystery throughout the life itself, people's motives and desires. in this [s] described in, even if there is a lot of things - actions, words, thinking of the fact that the surface appears to be - but will eventually be considered an event of hard and imaginative reconstruction. Of course, I tried to be faithful to the evidence. However, the evidence is not the truth. it's just obvious. In any case, Kathy Wade lost forever. If you need answers, you have to look out across these pages. or, reading a different book "(O'Brien, In the Lake of the Woods 30). This comment is passed four pieces of information to the reader: First, the author and the reader in dialogue with the text, the reader must listen to the author's voice. Second, the text is not all true, only speculation and possibilities. Third, I would like the author Wade, good "fiction" thing, which for the readers to understand the Casey and he has disappeared (the fact) the cause or the possibility of paving. Fourth, the authors emphasize again that no answer within the text, outside the book answers: everything is only possible, not truth. Expectations of readers of the guidelines immediately: one known novel, "within the meaning of" meaning the process of writing the novel; the other hand, a reference to understand the text and the novel issues raised are "to mean" sign, does not and can not find the real answer to the meaning or significance.
Note the second example of novel structures and themes in the play nexus effect. Novels in the half, Wade told Casey's sister Kathy was missing, and interspersed on the manufacture of several villages in Vietnam, the U.S. military atrocities, the author through the "Notes" 66 again into the text, a village on the former published in Vietnam comments, and also lead the reader from the text into the real world the world. The importance of this comment, the author shows the reader when he wrote that the novel seeks to detail the history of the faithful; the same time express their attitude of the Vietnam War: U.S. troops extremely brutal outrage, the Vietnamese people's good that our foreign people feel ashamed! This is the male protagonist and the voice of the author himself is one of the main thrust of the novel. At the same time, it also implies a certain degree of loss of Wade, the whereabouts of my mystery. Therefore, the author's interior monologue not only help to further understanding of the theme of the works, but also the broader deepen to a higher level.
Casey unsuccessful in searching out and not a trace of Wade, two of the whereabouts of a mystery, the novel in the last chapter, "if" in Syria or the use or evaluation of the way the various assumptions made about their whereabouts, so Wade and Casey become trusted by the disappearance. Novels of this seems to be stopped, but the last one - the first 133 comments to the reader and the text leads to a general sense of the unknown nature of space: "My heart told me stop there, given the blessing of a quiet and an end. But the truth not to do so. because there is no ending, happy or something. Nothing is fixed, everything is not resolved. ... ... ambiguity may be unsatisfactory, even annoying, but is a love story. ... ... We fate is uncertain. all leading to dark secrets, and the dark side just might be "(O'Brien, In the Lake of the Woods301). In other words, everything is open, continue to extend and uncertainties include: the fate of two heroes, the meaning of the text, text writing process, and even our own. This is the typical characteristics of post-modern aesthetics.
Space-time is a perversion of literary post-modernism and the art of an aesthetic pursuit. Postmodern Literature break the traditional linear narrative mode of the past, present and future collage together, build a chaotic world of art, but it vividly expresses the special time and special environment of psychological reality of the real characters. Since the Vietnam War battlefield many uncertain factors, the U.S. soldiers there is no clear goals, combined with a considerable number of soldiers do not understand the nature of the war, some fearful of war, or even think of how to escape from the battlefield, so they do not have the right and self- made him the right to present their thoughts clear picture of the world can not. Thus, the outside material world and the inner world of characters to fit, space-time perversion of the writing style has become the best bridge between the two. O'Brien is the builder of the bridge, the novel "In Search of Casey Alto" is the most prominent representative in this regard.
"In Search of Casey Alto," prepared for the reader a very complex space-time graticule, leading the reader into a space as raw material by the numerous flashing collage world. Background story of the novel during the war in Vietnam Chu Lai Vietnam, Quang Ngai province, a beach,
Novel tells the story of an American soldier Paul Berlin in Outlook from midnight to dawn on outpost duty for six hours alone memories and fantasies. In the time dimension, Paul thought the memories and fantasies of this in his tentacles stretch from his childhood and the next six months; in the spatial dimensions, he spans thousands of miles, from Vietnam to the United States, and from Vietnam to Laos, Burma, Iran, Greece, Germany, westbound has been to France. But these are not tentacles across the extension and completion of the linear dimensions, but make frequent cross in space-time warp and weft being.
Novel is divided into 46 chapters, from the past, present and future constitute the three worlds. "In the past," recalls Paul's world: including nearly 6 months to be cut and chaotic experience of war, such as the implementation of the massacre of the Vietnamese people, their fallen comrades; their psychological fear and guilt, Casey Alto to leave the battlefield walk to the meeting being held in Paris peace talks; to the family wrote that he joined the army in front of student life, a girlfriend, and baseball, the domestic anti-war wave and so on. "Future" is Paul's fantasy world: imagine Casey Alto westbound exit Vietnam, Paul, together with several other comrades search for Casey Alto set foot on the journey, which lasted 6 months, the trip of 8,600 miles. Leading the way in Paris, they continue to get the attention Casey Alto; Paul met the Vietnamese girl and with her at first sight, hit a hole in the ground and discussed with the enemy alive, the contents of the war; Paul saw a desert in Iran young people to be beheaded; several deserters and suspected by others in danger; Paul girl in Paris with the Vietnamese Chamber of luxury hotels in Paris peace talks; them to Casey Alto ready to seize his home and brought to justice, but Paul did not think that shelters that he was shaking, wet his pants, even went back to Vietnam and Laos border. "Reality" is Paul Liao Wang towers are in the: middle of the night, surrounded by quiet. Paul sometimes vaguely outpost next to the beach, surrounded with barbed wire, caught in reveries; sometimes calculate their number of days remaining in service. Realistic fiction outpost became the fulcrum of the bipolar balance of past and future.
However, the three "viewpoint" is not the last, to live in a flat, but the total was mixed from time to time, the formation of three-dimensional collage. 10 chapter novel, "Liao Wang towers" name, randomly distributed in 2,5,8,12,19,28,30,32,42 and 45 chapters, while Chapter 3 as a "flight of imagination "embellishment at 27,36 and 40 chapters. With "Paris" title 16 section of the imagination, were the first 3,6,7,10,13,15,17,18,21,23,26,29,33,38,43 and 44 chapters. The remaining 15 chapters of "War and other Memories", there is a one, the same as "In Search of Casey Alto," the two chapters: head and tail echo the past, present and future triple world together. If the "past clips" to fight all together, it gives us a corner of American society during the Vietnam War and the brutal nature of the Vietnam War; if the "next chapter break," continued into one, the reader clearly see a complete search for Cassia care context; And if the closure "real video", the reader can accurately grasp the character around, Tiaodang thoughts: Reality implies fear, fear of the past and imagine the future in the recall was in the complex; real meaning of fear initiation away from the battle , which in the world of imagination into reality; war guilt (memories), turned into a desire for peace and the longing for love (imagine). That this will disrupt the novel space-time, created a Living readers, confusion and blurring of the real logic of the art world. It is the hero of the inner world of the real Paul was characterized, and Paul is both a large number of U.S. soldiers in a symbol, but also a true representative. At the same time, he is the voice of O'Brien because of Paul Berlin, who seems to occur in reality and may have been an essential part of the Vietnam War.
Well-known critic Mike Hale, Bridget Ryan, said the main thrust of postmodernist fiction is ontological, that is what exists is a text mode? Text projection of the world (or world) there model? What is the world? (McHale 9-10) O'Brien answered with a novel what the Vietnam War and the Vietnam War what the text reflects the post-modern novels and other issues of common concern. He first insight into the Vietnam war in the world this essential characteristic of postmodernism, and post-modernist novels with accurate outside of the nature of the Vietnam War, and American soldiers during the Vietnam War some of the inner world, so perfect the art world and the real world fit. However, through the characteristics of these techniques, the reader is still able to discern the common theme of these texts: the Vietnam War in terms of American soldiers in a chaotic, unjust, immoral war, it gave the Vietnamese people, the American soldiers and the family have serious psychological trauma. O'Brien's Vietnam War history, writing the text written as part of the Vietnam War, is essential for readers to understand the history of Vietnam War literature, and his distinguished art of fiction in the United States that he ranks among the top ranks of post-modern writers.