• New Fabulism is a literary style that mixes real world settings with elements of fantasy, folklore, and the supernatural. It's like the cool new neighbor who has all these weird and wonderful items in their yard. You never know what you're going to find!
  • For example, think of the Harry Potter series, where magic and wizards exist alongside muggles (normal people) in modern day England.

• In "Mr. Fox", the main character and his assistant-turned-co-writer, Mary Foxe, navigate these blurred boundaries.

  • This is similar to how characters in the 'Stranger Things' TV series navigate between their small town and the upside-down world.

• As Mary pushes Mr. Fox to deeper exploration of characters and themes, we see a shift from gratuitous violence to a nuanced examination of human violence, akin to the difference between a splatter-filled horror movie and a psychological thriller.

• There's also a fun, puzzle-like aspect to the novel as readers try to determine which narrative thread – or reality – they're in. Kind of like watching 'Inception' and trying to figure out which level of dream the characters are in!

• Postmodernism is a movement that followed Modernism, like a little sibling that grows up to challenge and reinterpret everything their older sibling did.

  • For example, if Modernism is The Beatles, trying to understand and express the fragmented nature of the world with their music, then Postmodernism is like punk rock, tearing up the rulebook and celebrating chaos.

• Modernism struggles with fragmentation, randomness, and isolation, like trying to piece together a complex jigsaw puzzle. Postmodernism, on the other hand, takes the pieces of the puzzle, throws them in the air and enjoys the patterns they make as they fall.

  • Imagine Modernism as an intense game of chess, while Postmodernism is more like a lively round of Mario Kart.

• In Modernism, there's a quest to truly understand oneself. However, Postmodernism questions if understanding or even having a unified self is even possible. Think of the contrast between a soul-searching indie film and 'The Matrix' where everything, including one's self, is questionable.

• Postmodernism is playful and ironic, finding liberation in detachment from authenticity. It's like laughing at a meme that pokes fun at a serious situation.

• Postmodernism blurs boundaries between genres and the "real" and artificial, challenging traditional notions of high and low art. It's like scrolling through Instagram and seeing a random snapshot from someone's day get as many likes as a beautifully curated professional photo.

• Lastly, it loves intertextuality, irony, meta-fiction, and narcissism. So, you can imagine it as a self-aware TV show that makes references to other shows and itself, like 'Community'.

So, the next time you're reading "Mr. Fox" or any other Postmodernist work, don't get stressed out if things seem a bit confusing. Instead, buckle up and enjoy the chaotic, mind-bending ride!