Postmodernism 1963 – present

1. Postmodernism 1963 – present Postmodernism 1963-present

2. Postmodernism is, simply • a reaction to, refusal and diffusion of, the elements of modernist thought which are totalizing: which suggest a master narrative or master code, http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.php

3. HUH???

4. What were the “old traditions” that Modernism rejected? • America as the land of promise (esp. thanks to the “machine.”) • Continual progress leads to continued opportunity and a continued improvement of life • The determined individual will triumph—everything is possible.

5. Modernist Characteristics • A profound loss of innocence—loss of the American dream • Emphasis on experimentation, mirroring fractured society • Rejection of traditional forms and themes

6. Modernist Characteristics • Favors the flawed, disillusioned hero who still manages “grace under pressure” –Hemingway • Interest in the subconscious

7. Philosophically speaking, Postmodernism embraces… • a sense of discontinuity, of the world as a field of contesting explanations none of which can claim any authority, • parodies of all sorts of meta-narrative and master-code elements, including genre and literary form, • the challenging of borders and limits, including those of decency, • the exploration of the marginalized aspects of life and marginalized elements of society. http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.php

8. Postmodernism rejects… • Modernism’s totalizing premises and effects, and of its implicit or explicit distinction between 'high' culture and commonly lived life • In other words: There is no such thing as class distinction b/c there is no such thing as class and/or culture. They are social constructs we make up and define. Therefore, they are not stable because we are not stable. http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.php

9. Postmodernism arises in… • a world lived under nuclear threat and threat to the geosphere, to a world of faster communication, mass mediated reality, greater diversity of cultures and mores (pronounced more-ay—like a Canadian ) and a consequent pluralism • In other words: We can blow up our planet multiple times. As communication becomes more effective, our world becomes smaller and we are further influenced by more and more cultures and social constructions. http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.php

10. Postmodernism is a response to… • struggles against a world in which, under a spreading technological capitalism, all things are arecommodified and fetishized (made the object of desire), and in which genuine experience has been replaced by simulation and spectacle • In other words: As technology advances we become more dependent on it; our economy depends on it, and more and more things can be bought and sold. • What can’t you buy on the Internet? • Nothing is sacred. Everything we have we have because we want it; it fulfills a base desire. • Do we give our money to the Sac. Children’s home because we solely want to help kids or because we want to feel better—or not feel guilty? • “Real” or “genuine” experience does not exist. We do things only for show or pretend. • Think Wii How much of what you have goes beyond meeting your basic needs? http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.php

11. Postmodernism leaves us with… • senses of fragmentation, of discontinuity, of reality as a pastiche rather than as a weave http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.php

12. Postmodernism … • Rethinks society, history and the self as cultural constructs, hence as rhetorical constructs. • In other words: Our reality is constantly changing. We forget things and are influenced by our culture when interpreting our lives. And as culture changes, so does our interpretation—our definition—of self. We will never capture the “true” self because it is constantly changing. • And history is never stable either. • All our reality is dependent on constantly-changing foundations. • Nothing is real; nothing is true; nothing is absolute—not even these definitions  http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.php

18. http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.phphttp://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.php

19. http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.phphttp://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.php

20. Postmodernism http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/post-mod-attrib.php