Postmodern Literature - MCQs for UGC NET English 2025
1. Who coined the term “metafiction” in the context of postmodern literature?
- A. Brian McHale
- B. William H. Gass
- C. Linda Hutcheon
- D. Patricia Waugh
William H. Gass coined the term "metafiction" in 1970 to describe fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction.
2. Jean-François Lyotard defines Postmodernism as...
- A. The search for universal truths
- B. Incredulity towards metanarratives
- C. Revival of classical forms
- D. Emphasis on realism
Lyotard’s famous definition of postmodernism emphasizes skepticism of grand narratives or universal truths.
3. Which of the following is a characteristic of postmodern literature?
- A. Linear narrative
- B. Objective reality
- C. Fragmentation
- D. Authorial authority
Fragmentation of narrative, character, and language is a hallmark of postmodern writing.
4. Which novel by Thomas Pynchon is considered a postmodern classic?
- A. The Crying of Lot 49
- B. V.
- C. Gravity’s Rainbow
- D. Mason & Dixon
Gravity’s Rainbow (1973) is considered one of the most complex and influential postmodern novels.
5. Which of the following is NOT typically associated with postmodern literature?
- A. Paranoia
- B. Verisimilitude
- C. Pastiche
- D. Irony
Verisimilitude (realistic representation) is more a feature of modernist or realist texts, not postmodernism.
Postmodern Literature - 25 MCQs for UGC NET English 2025
1. Who coined the term “metafiction” in the context of postmodern literature?
- A. Brian McHale
- B. William H. Gass
- C. Linda Hutcheon
- D. Patricia Waugh
William H. Gass coined the term "metafiction" in 1970 to describe fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction.
2. Jean-François Lyotard defines Postmodernism as...
- A. The search for universal truths
- B. Incredulity towards metanarratives
- C. Revival of classical forms
- D. Emphasis on realism
Lyotard’s famous definition of postmodernism emphasizes skepticism of grand narratives or universal truths.
3. Which of the following is a characteristic of postmodern literature?
- A. Linear narrative
- B. Objective reality
- C. Fragmentation
- D. Authorial authority
Fragmentation of narrative, character, and language is a hallmark of postmodern writing.
4. Which novel by Thomas Pynchon is considered a postmodern classic?
- A. The Crying of Lot 49
- B. V.
- C. Gravity’s Rainbow
- D. Mason & Dixon
Gravity’s Rainbow (1973) is considered one of the most complex and influential postmodern novels.
5. Which of the following is NOT typically associated with postmodern literature?
- A. Paranoia
- B. Verisimilitude
- C. Pastiche
- D. Irony
Verisimilitude (realistic representation) is more a feature of modernist or realist texts, not postmodernism.
6. What literary technique involves the imitation of various styles without mocking them?
- A. Irony
- B. Parody
- C. Pastiche
- D. Satire
Pastiche is a hallmark of postmodernism, imitating other styles as a celebration rather than critique.
7. Which novel is known for popularizing magical realism in postmodern literature?
- A. Midnight's Children
- B. One Hundred Years of Solitude
- C. Both A and B
- D. Beloved
Both Rushdie and García Márquez employed magical realism to blend myth and reality.
8. “Historiographic metafiction” was coined by:
- A. Jean Baudrillard
- B. Fredric Jameson
- C. Linda Hutcheon
- D. Roland Barthes
Linda Hutcheon introduced this term to describe fictional works that question historical narratives.
9. Which of the following authors is most associated with cyberpunk?
- A. Don DeLillo
- B. Salman Rushdie
- C. William Gibson
- D. Margaret Atwood
William Gibson’s *Neuromancer* (1984) is seminal in the cyberpunk subgenre of postmodern fiction.
10. In postmodernism, “simulation” and “hyperreality” are ideas associated with:
- A. Michel Foucault
- B. Jean Baudrillard
- C. Jacques Derrida
- D. Terry Eagleton
Baudrillard’s concepts suggest that in postmodern culture, representations replace reality.
11. Don DeLillo’s “White Noise” is primarily concerned with:
- A. War
- B. Historical trauma
- C. Media and death
- D. Migration
The novel explores how media and consumerism shape perceptions of death and reality.
12. Which postmodern novel features a character named Tyrone Slothrop?
- A. The Crying of Lot 49
- B. Gravity’s Rainbow
- C. Infinite Jest
- D. Slaughterhouse-Five
Tyrone Slothrop is the protagonist in *Gravity’s Rainbow*, known for its complex narrative.
13. Which narrative technique is frequently used in postmodern novels?
- A. Stream of consciousness
- B. Non-linear narrative
- C. Allegory
- D. Free indirect discourse
Postmodern novels often avoid chronological storytelling in favor of fragmented or circular structures.
14. David Foster Wallace's *Infinite Jest* is known for:
- A. Simple language
- B. Complex structure and endnotes
- C. Political satire
- D. Magical realism
The novel uses hundreds of footnotes and multiple narrative layers typical of postmodern maximalism.
15. What is meant by “death of the author” in postmodern theory?
- A. Authors no longer write fiction
- B. Literal death of authors in the text
- C. The meaning of a text is independent of the author’s intention
- D. Authorial biographies are necessary for interpretation
Coined by Roland Barthes, the term suggests that interpretation should rely on the text itself.
16. A postmodern work often plays with genre conventions through:
- A. Realism
- B. Parody
- C. Irony
- D. Minimalism
Parody is used to critique or comment on genre conventions through humorous imitation.
17. “Intertextuality” refers to:
- A. Confessional writing
- B. Referencing other texts within a text
- C. Visual narratives
- D. Nonfiction writing
Postmodern texts often include references, quotations, or allusions to other literary works.
18. Who wrote *If on a winter's night a traveler*, a classic postmodern text?
- A. Jorge Luis Borges
- B. Italo Calvino
- C. Umberto Eco
- D. Paul Auster
Calvino’s novel plays with narrative form, reader identity, and metafictional structures.
19. Which of these is a notable trait of postmodern characters?
- A. Psychological depth
- B. Heroic certainty
- C. Fragmented identity
- D. Moral clarity
Postmodern characters often lack stable identities or clear motivations.
20. In postmodern literature, truth is often seen as:
- A. Universal
- B. Divinely inspired
- C. Constructed and relative
- D. Scientifically provable
Postmodernism questions the idea of objective truth, focusing instead on perspectives and constructs.
21. “Language speaks the subject” is a concept most associated with:
- A. Foucault
- B. Jacques Derrida
- C. Julia Kristeva
- D. Jürgen Habermas
Derrida emphasized that meaning is always deferred and that language constructs the subject.
22. The term “hypertext” in postmodern theory refers to:
- A. Books with hyperlinks
- B. Non-linear, interactive texts
- C. Religious scriptures
- D. Scientific essays
Hypertext in literature allows non-linear reading, common in digital and postmodern narratives.
23. Which novel by Margaret Atwood is often read as postmodern speculative fiction?
- A. The Blind Assassin
- B. The Handmaid’s Tale
- C. Alias Grace
- D. Surfacing
The *Handmaid’s Tale* combines dystopia with metafictional commentary, typical of postmodernism.
24. Which term refers to a mixture of “high” and “low” culture in postmodernism?
- A. Genre collapse
- B. Cultural hybridity
- C. Literary satire
- D. Aesthetic realism
Postmodernism often blends elite and popular culture to challenge hierarchical distinctions.
25. Which of these is NOT a feature of postmodern literature?
- A. Temporal distortion
- B. Metafiction
- C. Authorial omniscience
- D. Irony
Omniscient narration is more common in traditional realism than in postmodern narratives.
Postmodern Literature – MCQs (26–50)
Q26. Who coined the term "metafiction" to describe self-referential fiction?
Q27. Which novel by Italo Calvino is a quintessential example of postmodern narrative structure?
Q28. Jean Baudrillard’s concept of “hyperreality” is associated with:
Q29. Which postmodern writer is known for the term “historiographic metafiction”?
Q30. "Gravity's Rainbow" is a novel by:
Q31. Which of the following is NOT considered a postmodern technique?
Q32. Who wrote "White Noise," a satirical novel about media and consumer culture?
Q33. Which postmodern concept challenges the idea of a single, unified truth?
Q34. "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles is an example of:
Q35. The phrase "the incredulity toward metanarratives" is attributed to:
Q36. Which of these writers is most associated with postmodern black humor?
Q37. Which novel opens with the line: “The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel”?
Q38. Who authored "The Crying of Lot 49"?
Q39. "Lost in the Funhouse" is a collection by:
Q40. Which theorist emphasized "the death of the author" in postmodernism?
Q41. Which novel by Margaret Atwood is often discussed in postmodern feminist contexts?
Q42. Which narrative device questions the role of author and text, often used in postmodern works?
Q43. "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski is an example of:
Q44. What is the defining characteristic of pastiche in postmodernism?
Q45. In postmodern drama, which playwright is known for plays like "The Real Inspector Hound"?
Q46. Who described postmodernism as the “cultural logic of late capitalism”?
Q47. Which novel features the fictional drug “Substance D” and deals with identity and surveillance?
Q48. What distinguishes “paranoia” as a theme in postmodern literature?
Q49. David Foster Wallace’s “Infinite Jest” is notable for:
Q50. Postmodernism often blurs the boundaries between:
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