"We're here, and we don't know why" : An analysis of the postmodernist rejection of a universal meaning to life in Ken Grimwood’s novel Replay

Abstract: The question of the meaning of life is at the centre of this study without being directly addressed. The study does not analyse the meaning of life but rather how the main characters of the novel Replay (Jeff and Pamela) approach the question. This study argues that the novel Replay by Ken Grimwood presents a postmodern rejection of a universal meaning to life by making use of the literary device time loop and various other postmodern literary strategies. Although this study is one of the first to analyse the novel the study is not the first to analyse postmodern ways of viewing truth and meaning or existential questions such as the meaning of life. The study draws on earlier research to situate the reader in the context of postmodern literary analysis and to analyse the material. The theoretical framework for the analysis is provided by Lyotard’s definition of postmodernism and grand narratives. The analysis shows how the main characters’ experience of trying to understand why they are stuck in a time loop can be connected to the experience of every person trying to understand why they are here on earth. The time loop represents repetition, which is a prominent ingredient in Replay. Jeff and Pamela’s repeated rejections of various grand narratives, such as religion and, science and rationality, are what constitute the postmodern rejection of a universal meaning to life.