Novel “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” by Dave Eggers in Context of a New Cultural Paradigm

Abstract

The article explores the leading metamodernist features evident in the autobiographical novel ‘A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius’ (2001) by a contemporary American writer Dave Eggers. The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristic features of metamodernism in contemporary works on the basis of an interpretive analysis of D. Eggers’ autobiographical novel “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”, to determine ways of their original implementation in this novel. The review of theoretical sources confirms the significance of Eggers’ works in the development of key trends in the new cultural paradigm of post-postmodernism. The author can be attributed to a galaxy of American writers who fully embody the tenets of metamodernism. A practical analysis of the selected novel for study allows for the assertion that the main characteristics of metamodernism in the examined novel can be identified as the following elements: a revival of the author’s role, post-irony, new sincerity, and neo-realism. To embody these artistic elements, the author employs various literary techniques such as the contamination of artistic and documentary elements, meta-narration and meta-meta-narration, and the fusion of realistic and romantic perceptions of reality. Eggers explores traditional themes of family values, friendship, responsibility, and finding one's place in life through a new metamodern lens.

Keywords

• metamodernism
• autobiographical novel
• author figure
• post-irony
• new sincerity
• neorealism
• dave eggers