The Blindfold - Siri Hustvedt - Post-modernism

Extract

[...] We can deduce an implication between the migraines and the resulting perceptual hallucinations and the temporal structure that appears as black holes. Eventually, hallucinations appear as reality, and thus raise the question of a general distinction between hallucination and reality. The author's emancipation from the conventions of writing is also reflected in Iris's perception of the world around her. The protagonist is, in fact, left alone to create her own moral universe, which is not dictated by society or religion. [...]

[...] Moreover, like the author, Iris studied literature at Columbia University and is a migraine sufferer. Thus, this novel finds its dynamic in the apparent porosity between reality and fiction and therefore questions the distance between the author and the protagonist. The close relationship between fiction and reality is also explored by the character of Iris when a photo of her, taken by George, circulates among her friends. The character does not recognize herself in this photo and asserts the following nuance: the photograph is not her; it is an image of her. [...]

[...] Her personality is therefore nourished by intertextuality insofar as it constructs itself by taking inspiration from fictional works. It is a dark and disturbing novel that challenges our conceptions of the relationship between reality and fiction. This postmodern novel is a penetrating presentation of a deeply troubled mind. An uncomfortable nervous tension fills the reader throughout the novel and allows him to fully feel the reality of Iris' harsh existence. This novel is very rich both in content and form and perfectly embodies the movement of post- modernism and the emancipation of writing conventions. [...]

[...] It questions positivism, the search for universal laws and ‘the' truth, in favour of an approach that takes into account the diversity of points of view and the inclusion of minority voices. For postmodernists, the observer always influences are subject, there is no ‘true' and objective knowledge, there are only interpretations of reality. The search for a universal truth is questioned in favour of relativism, which considers that there are as many truths as there are points of view. Non-linearity, a complex narrative structure, auto fiction, intertextuality, metafiction, are among the characteristics of the postmodern style. II. Post modernism in The blindfold by Siri Hustvedt A. [...]

[...] The Blindfold – Siri Hustvedt – Post-modernism ‘There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.' Is a quotation from Harold Pinter that illustrates the ideas of the post-modernist movement, that is to mix the truth with the false in an approach that takes into account the diversity of points of view? [...]