Perspectives

Literary perspective

The short story “City Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer holds postmodern characteristics to some extent. The postmodernist literary movement experienced a rise in the post-World War II era and gained popularity throughout the late twentieth century.

Postmodernist works can be recognised through themes, context, and narrative techniques. In this short story, Nadine Gordimer explores themes that deal with racial conflicts, something which is often encountered in other postmodernist works. Fragmentation is also present as a narrative technique which is another feature of postmodernism. 

Gordimer's short story is an example of postcolonial literature (which is often considered part of postmodernism) because the story deals with the long-term consequences of colonisation. ...