A Play on Post-isms: The Unnamed Narrator’s Quest for Realness in Remainder

Abstract: Tom McCarthy’s Remainder (2005) is a novel that plays with various themes pertaining to “post-isms.” The unnamed narrator’s unreal perception is a particular postmodern syndrome. McCarthy’s authorial aim is twofold: to appropriate ideas from contemporary literary theorists about unreality as a common postmodern condition, and to create a form of realism against the real, challenging the notion that realist literature can accurately reflect reality. With the advent of the twenty-first century, McCarthy enriches the discussion of unreality by incorporating technological themes, exploring the reasons for the blurring boundaries between the simulated and the real in the posthuman context. After a playful engagement with the post- “philosophies,” Remainder reveals deeper ethical issues, making it a parable for our times.