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Title Prescribing The Present Over The Past: A Study of Presentism In Postmodern Visual Narratives

Author(s) SONAYANA SAEED

Abstract Prescribing The Present Over The Past: A Study Of Presentism In Postmodern Visual Narratives This thesis analyses two postmodern visual narratives - a 1998 film, Pleasantville, and a 2008 mini-series, Lost in Austen. The former is a depiction of High Modern American society while the latter is set in Regency England. The primary concern of my study is to identify and examine the ‘presentist’ elements in these visual narratives and how they overshadow the actual socio-cultural dilemmas of Regency England and High Modern America, as well as the tools and techniques used to achieve this. Jane Austen’s Regency romance novel, Pride and Prejudice, is analyzed parallel to Lost in Austen, while Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s is juxtaposed with Pleasantville, as cultural artifacts detailing the respective eras depicted in both visual narratives. This research also examines the influences of the postmodern era that have resulted in such presentist portrayals as represented in the selected film and mini-series. My research identifies how the actual events and occurrences of the postmodern age shaped the contexts of production of the film and mini-series, and are the purpose behind the presentist elements depicted in them. It concludes that owing to the filmmakers’ presentist inclination; racial bias, gender discrimination and dubiety of new knowledge and advancements have trickled into more contemporaneous depictions of Regency and High Modern periods. It further reveals the actual socio- cultural dilemmas of people from both eras as represented in Pride and Prejudice and Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Type Thesis/Dissertation MS

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2023-12-06

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