Literary Minimalism and Jean François Lyotard :: Free Essays Online

literary Minimalism and Jean Franois Lyotard 1. Anne Beattie has been c entirelyed a writer of minimalist fiction. Jean Franois Lyotards theories concerning postmodern expression have many similarities to this style. In this paper just about of Lyotards philosophical contributions to postmodernism will be presented as mission statements for, and/or an explanations of, the minimalist style. 2. First, minimalism as a style will be explained through examples from Anne Beatties story Girl Talk along with new(prenominal) commentary. To begin, minimalism, as Madison Smart Bell wrote . . . may fairly be described as a school because its representative work contains, as if by prescription, a number of specific elements A trim, minimal style, an psychoneurotic concern for surface detail, a tendency to ignore or exterminate distinctions among the people it renders and a studiedly deterministic, at times nihilistic, vision of the demesne (Rebein 34).3. Indeed, the minimalist style of p en is one that lacks distinct amounts of color. It is this tedious pen that writes stories much(prenominal) as Girl Talk, by Anne Beattie, in which a pregnant cleaning woman narrates her experience at her boyfriends mothers birthday party. The attention to surface detail that Bell notes can be seen Beatties almost page long definition of each of the characters toes sitting at a table after dinner. The narrator describes each person in detail The twins that are not twins have luxuriate toes that curl under Craig has square toenails Barbara has long toenails (31). In this segment in that location does not seem to be anything below the surface --such as amicable commentary or opinion of humanity--just feet. This devotion to almost pointless description without commentary fits the minimalist style, as Robert Rebein says in his book Hicks, Tribes, and Dirty Realists that minimalism is neither insightful nor even reasonably articulate (37). 4. This lack of part can also be seen i n the opening lines of the story, Barbara is her chaise. Something is wrong with the pool. . . (Beattie 28). These lines only when describe things lazily and without meaning, not even using the description that is wedded to toes later in the story. 5. Bell also mentions an aspect of nihilism in regard to minimalism. Among its definitions, Websters Dictionary defines nihilism as the belief that all existence is senseless and there is no possibility of an objective foot for truth. This definition can be applied to minimalism in that the writing style never purports to reveal a truth about the world it creates.