Catch 22

Catch 22 is a novella written by Joseph Heller at the middle of 20th century. The whole story is set during World War II from 1942 to 1944. The novel follows Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier. Most of the events in the novel occur while the fictional 256th Squadron is based on the island of Pianosa, in the Mediterranean Sea. The novel looks into the experiences of Yossarian himself and the other airmen in the camp. It focuses on their attitudes and inner thoughts to describe the environment in the war, and the way they are trying to fulfill their service requirements, so that they are able to return home. 

Catch 22 is also known for being ironic in productions from Postmodern Era.[1] In the book, the author Joseph Heller abandoned the traditional writing method of postmodernism: he not only does not highlight any characteristics of Yossarian (the protagonist) and the other airmen, but also makes the atmosphere of the story to be filled with disorder, noise and craziness. However, at the same time, Joseph Heller also emphasizes the "absurd seriousness" during the war. By using the dark humor and describing the rule "Catch-22", he successfully satirizes the whole American society from those negligible events that happens everyday in the army. In Postmodern Era, postmodern authors often treat very serious subjects—World War II, the Cold War, conspiracy theories—from a position of distance and disconnect, and choose to depict their histories ironically and humorously.[2] The novella Catch 22 truly expresses its topic by using one of the characteristics from Postmodern Era, which is irony. 

The art piece, Fountain, produced by Duchamp and the modern TV Show, Daily Show hosting by Jon Steward are also sharing the same characteristic. Irony and humor contain the essence of Postmodernism.

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[1]"What is Catch-22? And why does the book matter?". BBC News. 12 March 2002. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
[2]http://postmodernblog.tumblr.com/post/106532710/a-list-of-postmodern-characteristics