Elements of Postmodernism : In John Irving's The World According to Garp and A Prayer for Owen Meany

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to explore two of John Irving's most popular novels, The World According to Garp and A Prayer for Owen Meany, in connection with some of the most established parameters of postmodernism. Irving is usually not considered a typical postmodern writer, for very valid reasons; his novels, though captivating, come across as rather traditional narratives. Still, I believe that there are certain aspects of these works that may be discussed. Through a close-reading of the two novels, subjects like intertextuality, metafictional self-consciousness, and the postmodern parody, will be explored. Furthermore, John Irving's presentation of subjects like feminism, gender roles, and sexuality, will be analyzed in connection with some of Michel Foucault's theories on the discourses of power. In this manner, I will attempt to show that some of Irving's best works are more contemporary relevant than what is usually assumed, while trying to establish a "postmodernist profile" for this author, who is both typical and untypical of what are usually assumed to be the usual postmodernist characteristics.