DOMINANTS OF METAMODERNISM: CRITICAL RECEPTION

Abstract

This article analyzes developments in the field of literary studies that concentrate on the aesthetics of metamodernism. Researchers emphasize the following inherent characteristics of contemporary fictional writings: a return to modernist-style experimentation, the reconstruction of grand narratives rejected by postmodernism, oscillation between different aesthetic palettes, openness, a return to history, depth, affect, and new sincerity. The identification of these dominants in contemporary literature provides grounds for asserting the «waning» and exhaustion of postmodernism and the development ofa new way of narrativization and understanding of reality, which encompasses both the realities of high technological progress and economic instability.Scholars argue that innovative spirit of the early twentieth century serves as the foundation for the metamodernism of the twenty-first century. Metamodernism explores how the modernists expanded the horizons of literary potential by challenging well-established notions of narrative consistency. In contemporary fiction, we witness a response to modernism as an artistic endeavor that transcends borders, finding expression in various cultures. Metamodernist narratives, in this context, set themselves apart from an earlier form of modernism by embracing a self-aware and enduring commitment to rebellion and the presentation of the unfamiliar as literary innovations that emerged specifically during the early twentieth century.The metamodern turn’s oscillation between «irony and sincerity» can be seen as a thought-provoking response to the complex political landscape of an era marked by economic instability. In a world where economic uncertainties often shape political agendas and public discourse, this dynamic interplay between irony and sincerity reflects the multifaceted nature of contemporary political engagement.