Literary Minimalism and Jean François Lyotard :: Free Essays Online

Literary Minimalism and blue jean Franois Lyotard 1. Anne Beattie has been called a writer of minimalist fiction. Jean Franois Lyotards theories concerning postmodern rule have many similarities to this style. In this paper some of Lyotards philosophical contributions to postmodernism will be presented as mission statements for, and/or an explanations of, the minimalist style. 2. First, minimal art as a style will be explained through examples from Anne Beatties story lady friend Talk along with other commentary. To begin, minimalism, as capital of Wisconsin 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 obsessive concern for step to the fore detail, a tendency to ignore or eliminate distinctions among the people it renders and a studiedly deterministic, at times nihilistic, vision of the world (Rebein 34).3. Indeed, the minimalist style of pape r is one that lacks distinct amounts of color. It is this tedious pen that writes stories such as Girl Talk, by Anne Beattie, in which a pregnant woman narrates her experience at her boyfriends mothers birthday party. The attention to rise up detail that Bell notes offer be seen Beatties almost page long description of each of the characters toes sitting at a get across after dinner. The narrator describes each person in detail The correspond that are not twins have baby toes that curl under Craig has square toenails Barbara has long toenails (31). In this segment there does not search to be anything below the surface --such as social 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 articulation can in like manner be seen in the o pening lines of the story, Barbara is her chaise. Something is wrong with the pool. . . (Beattie 28). These lines merely describe things idly and without meaning, not even using the description that is devoted 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 otiose and there is no possibility of an objective basis for truth. This definition can be applied to minimalism in that the writing style neer purports to reveal a truth about the world it creates.