Postmodern fiction emerged in the mid-20th century as authors began to question and deconstruct traditional narrative conventions. This genre is characterized by its self-awareness, fragmented narratives, unreliable narrators, and deliberate blurring of the line between fiction and reality. Postmodern authors often break the fourth wall, comment on the act of writing itself, and challenge readers' expectations about how stories should be told. The genre reflects a world where absolute truth is questioned, reality is subjective, and meaning is constructed rather than discovered. Authors like Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, and David Foster Wallace use postmodern techniques to explore themes of consumer culture, information overload, and the fragmentation of modern life.

Postmodern fiction emerged in the 1960s as writers began responding to the perceived exhaustion of modernist techniques and the changing nature of reality in the post-war, media-saturated world. Influenced by postmodern philosophy and critical theory, authors began experimenting with form and questioning the assumptions of traditional narrative. The genre reached its peak in the 1980s and 1990s with works like "Gravity's Rainbow" and "Infinite Jest," though its influence continues in contemporary experimental fiction.