Depiction of Postmodern culture in Elif Shafak’s “The Bastard of Istanbul”

Abstract

Postmodern culture or postmodernity speaks of social, economic or cultural conditions which made an appearance in western society after the modern age. It functions opposite to the modern outlook. This research has been carried out to represent postmodern culture in contemporary social structure through “The Bastard of Istanbul” written by a Turkish author Elif Shafak. The novel has been investigated deeper keeping in view the concept of postmodern culture. The results unfold that the author exhibits pop culture, social hypocrisy, dual standards, social follies and wavering personalities in the novel. This research concludes that the author has, by incorporating postmodern elements in the novel, highlighted social and cultural issues which are a reflection of our contemporary society.