Parody In Donald Barthelme's Snow White

Donald Barthelme, one of the most influential postmodern writers, is renowned for his persistent innovation and transformation of the novel forms. His Snow White, which was published in 1967, is just a typical example. Although the novel has some similarities with the classical Grimm's fairy tale in many aspects, the theme of novel has been greatly transformed. As a matter of fact, Barthelme's Snow White is an imitation and transformation for the Grimm's fairy tale.The author of this thesis probes into the application of parody in the novel Snow White from Gerard Genette's derivative intertextulality——parody. Besides introduction and conclusion, this thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 concentrates on parody of characterizations in the novel. Characters in the tale have their own obvious personalities and are the integration of traditional virtues, which fully reflects the heroism in an ideal utopia world. However, characters in the novel are flat and lack of definite identities and traits. Falling short of the real flesh and emotions, they are reduced to signs and shadows. This completely mirrors the anti-heroism in an absurd postmodern world.Chapter 2 focuses on parody of narrative modes. Grimm's fairy tale mainly follows the traditional linear mode:beginningâ†'expositionâ†'climaxâ†'denouement. The whole story plot is complete and clear. However, Barthelme applies the nonlinear narrative mode in the novel, which does not have the coherent plot, but juxtaposes a number of fragments. This kind of nonlinear narrative pattern exactly reflects the fragmented and meaningless postmodern society.Chapter 3 centers on parody of languages. Language in the tale as the objective, subordinates the characterization, the story plot and the theme. And language could directly represent the world and play its function of referring to the world. However, language in the novel works as the subjective and surpasses the theme and the story plot. Language could not be used to show the world and loses the original function, mainly because the contemporary society could not provide conditions for language to play its referential part.Through the analysis of the application of Genette's intertexual strategy——parody in characterizations, narrative modes and language functions, the thesis intends to reveal the depiction of the absurd, decayed, meaningless and uncertain postmodern society with banality and ugliness of human beings in the novel and better understand its theme of fierce criticism of social reality.