Perspectives
Literary period
The short story “Once Upon a Time” by Nadine Gordimer is a post-modernist literary work.
Firstly, post-modernist fiction sometimes has shifts in perspective, when it comes to the narration. In “Once upon a Time”, the outer story is told by a first-person narrator, while the inner story switches to a third-person narrator. Secondly, post-modernist literary works tend to focus on topics of current interest, such as racism or class differences. In her story, Gordimer explores how a prejudiced white couple in South Africa relates to black South Africans during apartheid.
Post-modernist literary works also tend to play with the conventions of established genres. This is clearly seen here, as Gordimer blends some fairy tale elements and language features into a tragic story about the real-life consequences of racism and seg...