Qarshi davlat universiteti xorijiy tillar fakulteti ingliz tili va adabiyoti kafedrasi

Lecture № 15 
Contemporary American literature. American multicultural literature.
 
Plan: 
1.
The concept of Postmodernism 
2.
John Grisham 
3.
Dan Brown 
Key words and expressions 
Crime fiction
Thriller 
Postmodernism
Postmodernism 1945-present 
Introduction: 
As implied by its name, the Postmodernist period occurred directly after the Modernist 
period. Events that inspired this movement were the end of World War II, the Korean War, 
Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Civil Rights movement. Postmodernism works were 
characterized by multiple qualities. These contemporary works often featured ordinary places 
and portray a release from meaning, a desire to correct the past, and a desire to enjoy oneself. 
With the end of World War II and the discovery of the holocaust and the atomic bomb, 
American society began to see reality as subjective. New types of art displayed this new mindset 
as well as the literature of the time period did. There was also a strong desire to correct the past 
and right the wrongs that occurred during both of the World Wars. 
With advances in technology and rights, Americans could better define who they were. 
Americans now saw themselves as a major world power because of their atomic bombs. Women 

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and African Americans also began developing a voice and identity distinct in American culture. 
With people like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X leading the Civil Rights Movement, the 
African American identity started becoming recognized by society. Because not everyone 
supported this, racism also became another important theme of the Contemporary era.
These events influenced the writings of this era that display the diversity, materialism, 
and pride seen throughout America. Authors began to describe everyday life and new 
technology. Postmodernism focused on the present and the future. It was and is an ongoing, 
evolving period of American literature.