An Epic Without Individuals? War Narrative and Postmodern Warfare

Abstract

This article examines the absence of direct representations of contemporary warfare in present-day narrative and the resulting, apparent impossibility of an epic of arms. Starting from the specific features of postmodern warfare, the essay traces the transformations of the experience of war from the Second World War to the present, showing how these changes affect representational forms. The analysis considers a broad medial spectrum of war representations – from documentary to Japanese animation and literary fiction – focusing in particular on Don DeLillo’s short story Human Moments in World War III.