Schematic Differences between
Modernism and Postmodernism
Modernism
Postmodernism
romanticism/symbolism
paraphysics/Dadaism
purpose
play
design
chance
hierarchy
anarchy
matery, logos
exhaustion, silence
art object, finished word
process, performance
distance
participation
creation, totalization
deconstruction
synthesis
antithesis
presence
absence
centering
dispersal
genre, boundary
text, intertext
semantics
rhetoric
paradigm
syntagm
hypotaxis
parataxis
metaphor
metonymy
selection
combination
depth
surface
interpretation
against interpretation
reading
misreading
signified
signifier
lisible (readerly)
scriptible
narrative
anti-narrative
grande histoire
petite histoire
master code
idiolect
symptom
desire
type
mutant
genital, phallic
polymorphous
paranoia
schizophrenia
origin, cause
difference-difference
God the Father
The Holy Ghost
Metaphysics
irony
determinacy
indeterminacy
transcendence
immanence
(SOURCE: Hassan "The Culture of Postmodernism" Theory, Culture, and Society, V 2 1985, 123-4.)
Monday, 7 February 2011
Further Criticisms Of Postmodernism
Rosenau (1993) Rosenau identifies seven contradictions in Postmodernism:
1. Its anti-theoretical position is essentially a theoretical stand.
2. While Postmodernism stresses the irrational, instruments of reason are freely employed to advance its perspective.
3. The Postmodern prescription to focus on the marginal is itself an evaluative emphasis of precisely the sort that it otherwise attacks.
4. Postmodernism stress intertextuality but often treats text in isolation.
5. By adamently rejecting modern criteria for assessing theory, Postmodernists cannot argue that there are no valid criteria for judgment.
6. Postmodernism criticizes the inconsistency of modernism, but refuses to be held to norms of consistency itself.
7. Postmodernists contradict themselves by relinquishing truth claims in their own writings.
1. Its anti-theoretical position is essentially a theoretical stand.
2. While Postmodernism stresses the irrational, instruments of reason are freely employed to advance its perspective.
3. The Postmodern prescription to focus on the marginal is itself an evaluative emphasis of precisely the sort that it otherwise attacks.
4. Postmodernism stress intertextuality but often treats text in isolation.
5. By adamently rejecting modern criteria for assessing theory, Postmodernists cannot argue that there are no valid criteria for judgment.
6. Postmodernism criticizes the inconsistency of modernism, but refuses to be held to norms of consistency itself.
7. Postmodernists contradict themselves by relinquishing truth claims in their own writings.
Jean-François Lyotard
Lyotard rejected what he called the “grand narratives” or universal “meta-narratives.”
Basically, the grand narratives (big stories) refer to the great theories of history, science, religion, politics. For example, Lyotard rejects the ideas that everything is knowable by science or that as history moves forward in time, humanity makes progress, and therefore he also rejects that everyone follows one of three grand narratives, and introduced the idea of micronarratives.
Lyotard favours ‘micronarratives’ (little stories) that can go in any direction, that reflect diversity, that are unpredictable, which show that everyone is different and everyone has their own stories.
Basically, the grand narratives (big stories) refer to the great theories of history, science, religion, politics. For example, Lyotard rejects the ideas that everything is knowable by science or that as history moves forward in time, humanity makes progress, and therefore he also rejects that everyone follows one of three grand narratives, and introduced the idea of micronarratives.
Lyotard favours ‘micronarratives’ (little stories) that can go in any direction, that reflect diversity, that are unpredictable, which show that everyone is different and everyone has their own stories.
Homage
Not to be confused with a pastiche, the homage is a kinder and more respectful way of making use of an existing style. Homage is in a simple way a sort of tribute to the thing they are copying. Tarantino makes use of homage in all of his films. For example, Tarantiono’s soundtrack to Inglorious Basterds is a tribute to Ennio Morricone as his music is used throughout the whole film and owns the majority of music on the soundtrack to the movie.
Frederic Jameson Criticism Of Postmodernism
Sees postmodernism as empty and trapped in circular references (never-ending arguments).
Nothing more than a series of self-referential 'jokes' which have no deeper meaning or purpose. (Ironically Postmodernists don't disagree but use his criticism as their purpose, by not having a purpose, that in itself is the purpose creating the paradoxical nature of Postmodernism)
For Jameson, literary and cultural output has more purpose than postmodernism and therefore remains a modernist in a world increasingly dominated by postmodern culture.
Contrasting this however, Jameson sees reason for the present generations to express themselves through postmodernity due to them being the product of such a heavily globalised, multinational dominated economy, which carries the multinational media industry as one of its main branches. By the media being everywhere, all the time bombarding the generation, explains why postmodernists’ merging of all discourse into an undifferentiated whole "there no longer does seem to be any organic relationship between the American history we learn from schoolbooks and the lived experience of the current, multinational, high-rise, stagflated city of the newspapers and of our own everyday life” (p.22 Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. 1991.)
Nothing more than a series of self-referential 'jokes' which have no deeper meaning or purpose. (Ironically Postmodernists don't disagree but use his criticism as their purpose, by not having a purpose, that in itself is the purpose creating the paradoxical nature of Postmodernism)
For Jameson, literary and cultural output has more purpose than postmodernism and therefore remains a modernist in a world increasingly dominated by postmodern culture.
Contrasting this however, Jameson sees reason for the present generations to express themselves through postmodernity due to them being the product of such a heavily globalised, multinational dominated economy, which carries the multinational media industry as one of its main branches. By the media being everywhere, all the time bombarding the generation, explains why postmodernists’ merging of all discourse into an undifferentiated whole "there no longer does seem to be any organic relationship between the American history we learn from schoolbooks and the lived experience of the current, multinational, high-rise, stagflated city of the newspapers and of our own everyday life” (p.22 Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. 1991.)
Pastiche
Pastiche in its simplest form is an imitation of an existing style. Normally it is used in a lighthearted way but more often it is very satirical.
A satire attempts to mock topical issues, which means that its humour and purpose is fleeting as it relies on the audiences knowledge of the issue that is being sent up.
Pastiche is now seen as part of Postmodernism and is used in both support and criticism of postmodernism.
A satire attempts to mock topical issues, which means that its humour and purpose is fleeting as it relies on the audiences knowledge of the issue that is being sent up.
Pastiche is now seen as part of Postmodernism and is used in both support and criticism of postmodernism.
Jacques Derrida - The Centre Is Not The Centre
“The centre is not the centre. The concept of a centered structure…is contradictorily coherent. And, as always, coherence in contradiction expresses the force of desire.”
The centre actually doesn’t exist, but because we have a need for it to make sense of the world around us, we perceive it to be there – however, according to Derrida, the need for and perception of a centre doesn’t necessarily mean that centre exists.
The centre actually doesn’t exist, but because we have a need for it to make sense of the world around us, we perceive it to be there – however, according to Derrida, the need for and perception of a centre doesn’t necessarily mean that centre exists.
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