Introduction to Postmodernism

Why Reality Isn’t What It Used to Be

Your Place in History n Modern Timeline TRADITIONAL WESTERN “MODERN” THINKING n Modernism n Postmodernism 14th C You are here

Frederick Jameson n Modernism and postmodernism are cultural formations that accompany specific stages of capitalism 1.Market capitalism: 18th-19th C. Steam locomotiveRealism 2.Monopoly capitalism: Late 19th C to WWII Electricity and automobileModernism 3.Multinational/consumer capitalism Nuclear and electronicsPostmodernism Culture & Capital POSTMODERNISM

Evolution of Western Thought Timeline as TRADITIONAL WESTERN “MODERN” THINKING Theocentric Humanistic Economic Naturalistic

Modernity RENAISSANCE TO ABOUT 1900 (+/- 30 years) Baudrillard: Early modernity: Renaissance to Industrial Revolution Modernity:Industrial Revolution Postmodernity:Period of mass media The world according to white Anglo-Saxon males from Europe Timeline TRADITIONAL WESTERN “MODERN” THINKING

Values of Modernity n God, reason and progress n There was a center to the universe. n Progress is based upon knowledge, and man is capable of discerning objective absolute truths in science and the arts. n Modernism is linked to capitalism—progressive economic administration of world n Modernization of 3rd world countries (imposition of modern Western values) Newtonian Order TRADITIONAL WESTERN “MODERN” THINKING

View of Literature n Good literature is of timeless significance. n The text will reveal constants, universal truths, about human nature, because human nature itself is constant and unchanging. Purpose of Literature TRADITIONAL WESTERN “MODERN” THINKING

Modernism n Early 1900s: F World War I F Worldwide poverty & exploitation n Intellectual upheaval: F Freud: psychoanalysis F Marx: class struggle F Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Neitzsche F Picasso, Stravinsky, Kafka, Proust, Brecht, Joyce, Eliot Death of the Old Order TRADITIONAL WESTERN “MODERN” THINKING PRECURSORS OF POSTMODERNISM

Shapes of Modernism n Industrial revolution…. Factories, machinery. n WWI– technology creates weaponry that allows people to destroy the enemy without seeing him or her. War is now fought on an impersonal level. Led to changes in the individual’s psyche. n Culture shift - massive move to urban life. Move to “Big Business.” Going to the movies. Owning a car.

Language & Truth n People are the same everywhere n There are universal laws and truths n Knowledge is objective, independent of culture, gender, etc. n Language is a man-made tool that refers to real things / truths n I, the subject, speak language n I have a discernible self n The self is the center of existence What Is Language? as TRADITIONAL WESTERN “MODERN” THINKING

Feelings after the War n Exploratory – Soldiers had experienced the world. n Fragmentation of human experiences -a sharp detachment from the pre World War I period. Devaluation of human life, and the loss of possibility to believe in something beyond humanity. n Confusion about traditional values- caused by changes in technology; family life; the settled, rural community; presence of godless intellectual theories. n Lacking a sense of values - individuals felt a loss of a sense of identity. This was reflected in the literary and artistic worlds.

Changes seen in Literature n Experimentation – usually with different forms and techniques to reflect feelings of detachment n Goal - "to express the complexities and uncertainties of modern life.” F disruption of linear flow of narrative, F frustration of conventional expectations concerning unity and coherence of plot and character and the cause and effect development thereof, n Emphasis on vision and viewpoint. How the story was told became just as important as the story. n Stream of Consciousness

Modernist Literature n Emphasis on impressionism and subjectivity n Movement away from “objective” third-party narration n Tendency toward reflexivity and self- consciousness n Obsession with the psychology of self n Rejection of traditional aesthetic theories n Experimentation with language and form Breaking the Rules PRECURSORS OF POSTMODERNISM

Modernist Literature “Things fall apart, The centre cannot hold, Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” --Yeats, “The Second Coming” A World with No Center PRECURSORS OF POSTMODERNISM

Modernist Art n Cubism n Surrealism n Dadaism n Expressionism Breaking the Rules PRECURSORS OF POSTMODERNISM

Postmodernism n Extension of Modernism n Does not mourn loss of history, self, religion, center n Difference is that Postmoderism argues that history, human existence, and human experiences were ALWAYS fragmented, not just life after WWI. n Attempts to portray this experience with fragmentation through the form in texts n Rejects Western values, beliefs, culture, and norms as being only a small part of human experience

Postmodernism: Basic Concepts n Life just is n Rejection of all master narratives n All “truths” are contingent cultural constructs n Skepticism of progress; anti-technology bias n Sense of fragmentation and decentered self n Multiple conflicting identities n Mass-mediated reality The End of Master Narratives POSTMODERNISM

Postmodernism: Basic Concepts n All versions of reality are SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS F Concepts of good and evil F Metaphors for God F Language F The self F Gender F EVERYTHING! The End of Master Narratives POSTMODERNISM

Postmodernism: Basic Concepts n Language is a social construct that “speaks” & identifies the subject n Knowledge is contingent, contextual and linked to POWER n Truth is pluralistic, dependent upon the frame of reference of the observer n Values are derived from ordinary social practices, which differ from culture to culture and change with time. n Values are determined by manipulation and domination Language As Social Construct POSTMODERNISM

Postmodern View of Language n Observer is a participant/part of what is observed n Receiver of message is a component of the message n Information becomes information only when contextualized n The individual (the subject) is a cultural construct n Consider role of own culture when examining others n All interpretation is conditioned by cultural perspective and mediated by symbols and practice The Observer is King POSTMODERNISM

PostModern Literature n Extreme freedom of form and expression n Repudiation of boundaries of narration & genre n Intrusive, self-reflexive author n Parodies of meta-narratives n Deliberate violation of standards of sense and decency (which are viewed as methods of social control) n Integration of everyday experience, pop culture Play and Parody POSTMODERNISM

SOME TECHNIQUES USED IN POSTMODERN LITERATURE Decentering Indeterminacy Self-reflexiveness Parody Intertextuality

Decentering n Definition: texts without a traditional linear plot (beginning, middle, and end). n Theory: people are capable of understanding texts that aren’t written in a traditional fashion n Techniques used: flashback, flashforward, stream of conciousness

Indeterminacy n Definition: vagueness or unconclusiveness. n Theory: Everyone constructs their own meaning from a text, based on what the reader deems to be important. WE all have different experiences, values and judgements, which indeterminacy lets us explore through stories. The reader can to extract meaning from what was formally seen as a chaotic text. Authors may also use indeterminacy to highlight that everyone constructs their own meaning from a text, based on what the reader deems to be important. However, by seeking meaning, we are attempting to structuralize texts that want to avoid structure.

Self-reflexiveness n Definition: a text refers back to itself, rather than referring to world in which it exists. This materializes in a text that talks about itself, or a narrator, whose purpose is to break the illusion of realism in a story, but seems to be interrupting in the text. Sometimes, this narrator may not always tell the truth about what is happening in the story, and in these cases it is called an unreliable narrator. n Theory: The text isn’t reality, so why pretend like it is.

Parody n A postmodern text may also seek to parody another form of work. By doing this, postmodernism takes a genre that has been used over and over again, and transforms it into a new style.

Postmodern Art POSTMODERNISM

ModernityPostModern n History as fact n Faith in social order n Family as central unit n Authenticity of originals n Mass consumption Binary Oppositions POSTMODERNISM n Written by the victors n Cultural pluralism n Alternate families n Hyper-reality (MTV) n Niches; small group identity

PostModernism We all slip and slide between the objective and constructive views: 1. We live in a world of naïve realism. 2. But when we think about things, or have to explain our views, we become constructivists. We Live in the Middle POSTMODERNISM

Literary & FilmTheory Celebrating Diversity POSTMODERNISM n Different constructs of reality n “Lenses” through which we see the world ?

PostModernism n THE HOPE OF POSTMODERNISTS: F The deconstruction of foundational views will lead to a recognition and acceptance of a pluralistic worldview. F Create a truly global civilization. Celebrating Diversity POSTMODERNISM