Writing Against the Grain: Postmodernist Approaches to Die, My Love, Feebleminded, and Tender by Ariana Harwicz

Abstract

This essay explores the lingering presence of postmodernist aesthetics in contemporary literature, specifically through the works of Argentine author Ariana Harwicz. Despite the apparent decline in theoretical discussions on postmodernism, the cultural and literary echoes of postmodernist thought remain evident. The analysis focuses on Harwicz's Trilogía de la pasión, comprising Die, My Love (2012), Feebleminded (2014), and Tender (2015), which collectively critique and deconstruct societal pillars such as family and motherhood. These novels embody the postmodernist spirit through their fragmented narratives, exploration of dislocation, and subversion of binary oppositions like sanity and madness, rationality and irrationality. Harwicz's narratives challenge the hegemonic metanarratives that have historically shaped Western cultural norms, particularly the idealized concept of motherhood. By highlighting the dissident maternal experiences of her protagonists, Harwicz exposes the constructed nature of reality and the marginalization of alternative perspectives. The essay argues that, far from being a relic of the past, postmodernism continues to offer a dynamic framework for understanding contemporary literature. It remains relevant in its resistance to categorization, its challenge to accepted truths, and its exploration of the complexities of identity, making it a vital lens through which to examine the ongoing evolution of cultural and literary production.