Postmodernism

Post- Modernism

prefix which

means “after”

time of belief in

an absolute

universal truth

= after the time of belief in an absolute universal truth

Modernism Postmodernism

Industrial Revolution Period of mass

media

Laments

fragmentation

Celebrates

fragmentation

Works of art can

provide meaning to

the world

Works of art cannot

provide meaning to

the meaningless

world

Learn things to know

them

Learn things to use

them

Failure of Industrial Revolution,

WWII and Poverty (1900-1940s)

Revolt against

dehumanization of industrialism

Sense that Western culture

had lost its bearings & values

0Failure of Industrial Revolution,

WWII and Poverty (1900-1940s)

Exposure of hypocritical

moralism of Christianity

Popularization of Charles

Darwin’s evolutionary theory

The Year of Student

Revolution (1968)

Architectural student rebellion against modernist teachers

“Break the rules!

Mix up styles!

Play with space!

Defy gravity if you like!”

Space Race

(1950s)

Identity

Movements:

Feminism and

Black Power

(1960s)

Beatles (1963)

JFK Assassination

(1963)

Culture Wars:

Debates over

Canonical Inclusion

(1980s)

Release of

Michael Jackson’s

Thriller (1983)

“Postmodernism is

incredulity towards

Meta-narratives.” Jean-Francois Lyotard,

The Postmodern Condition

(1979)

There is no true worldview.

Knowledge is the result of

culture and language.

Reality is from our individual

interpretation.

Notions regarded as universal

are mere social constructs.

Deconstruction

by Jacques Derrida

Texts are incapable

of conveying truth

about objective

reality

Released text ends

the author’s

ownership

Iconoclasm: anti-cultural

standards

Groundless: anti-final

interpretation

Formlessness: anti-influential

metaphor

Populism: anti-restriction

CONSUMER CAPITALISM Global economy

Outsourcing and free

trade agreements

Decline in

manufacturing

Rise in unemployment

Increase in part-time

flexible and home

working

LIMITLESS

Nonlinearity

Multiple styles, multiple goals

Seemingly disjointed

Influence of digital

technology

Marilyn Monroe by Andi Warhol

Playing with Gods by Morimura Yasumasa

How Mali Lost Her Accent by Pacita Abad

Cocktail Party by Sandy Skoglund

Wrapped Trees

BOLD AESTHETICS

Styles collide

New ways of viewing

familiar styles

Artists call attention to their

environment rather than to

themselves

Guggenheim Museum by Frank Gehry

Dancing House by Vlado Milunic

DG Bank Building by Hans Schober

Royal Ontario Museum by William Thorsell

Food Theater Café by Daniel Libeskind

MULTICULTURALISM

Breakdown of cultural

boundaries

Discussing sex is not a taboo

Can be in any religion and still

recognize others

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

Gay Marriage

King of Talk Boy Abunda

Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet

Playboy

Barack Obama

HYPERREALITY More real than reality itself

Reality as entertainment

Refers to other texts and

assumes familiarity

Emphasis on image and style

rather than meaning

Homer Simpson as Da Vinci’s Human Body

Spiderman Kiss in Shrek

The Matrix

Reality TV

Lady Gaga

Madonna

TECHNOPOLY

Revolves around Cyberspace

and Virtual Reality

Social interactions happen

online

Cocooning - people cannot

live without computer

Social Networking

Vatican’s Youtube Account Cyber Bullying

Cocooning

‘There is no absolute

truth’ is a statement that

claims

to be absolutely true.

Therefore,

Postmodernism refutes itself.

The deconstruction

of foundational views will lead to

recognition and

acceptance of a

pluralistic worldview.

?? BA!

??

Rejects boundaries

Deliberately violates standards

of sense and decency

Shows constant struggle:

man vs. man, man vs. self and

man vs. society

Creation of intrusive breaks

and ironies

Irony, playfulness, black

humor

Pastiche

Metafiction

Paranoia

Temporal distortion

Intertextuality

Joseph Heller

Catch 22

Known for his satires and

playwrights

Works center on the lives of

various members of the middle

class

Has a non-chronological style

Events are described from different points -of-view so that

the time line develops along

with the plot

Kurt Vonnegut

Known for using Pastiche in his

works

Blends satire, black comedy,

and science fiction to create

novels

Breakfast of Champions

Uses paranoia

Has a character who becomes

violent when he imagines

people as robots while he remains as the only human

Thomas Pynchon

The Crying of Lot 49

Known for fictional writing over

many different subjects such as

science, mathematics and

history

Uses humorous wordplay while discussing serious subjects

Has comic character names

(e.g. Mike Fallopian, Stanley Koteks and Dr. Hilarius)

Amy Tan

The Kitchen God’s Wife

Challenges the dominant narratives of contemporary

society about who matters

and who does not

Known for writing works which

explore mother-daughter relationships

Jessica Hagedorn

Dogeaters

Known for works with a collision of cultures, the saga

of immigration, cultural

meltdown and renewal

Uses a whirlwind pastiche of life

in the Philippines just before the

fall of the Marcos regime

Nick Carbo

Secret Asian Man

Editor of the groundbreaking

anthology of Filipino and Filipino

American poetry, Returning A

Borrowed Tongue

Uses a hilarious yet heartbreaking

look at the immigrant experience

Revolves on a hero who

becomes a spy, sniffing out the

criminals of America's racist pop

culture and Iiterary canon

Miguel Syjuco Locally and Internationally

acclaimed Filipino writer

2008 winner of Palanca Awards

Grand Prize for English Novel and

Man Asian Literary Prize

IlustradoNames a character after the

author himself who investigates

to discover the truth behind the

death of renowned writer

Crispin Salvador

How is Postmodernism related

to Popular Culture?

Postmodernism Popular Culture

birth of individual

interpretations of

reality

mass commercial

culture

Cultural commodities which have

resources that people can consume to

give meaning to their social identity and

relations become popular.

Ashton, J. (2005). From Modernism to Postmodernism.

New York: Cambridge University Press.

Basson, A. (2007). Postmodernism. Academia Nuts, 1-2.

Deely, J. (2000, November 21). The Beginning of

Postmodern Times. The Red Book. Helsinki,

Yliopisto, Finland: University of Helsinki.

Featherstone, M. (2007). Consumer Culture and

Postmodernism. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Shrader, R. (2006). Postmodernism. Collins: Bethel

Baptist Church.

Taylor, V., & Winquist, C. (2001). Encyclopedia of

Postmodernism. London: Routledge.

Vanhoozer, K. (2003). The Cambridge Companion to

Postmodern Theology. New York: Cambridge

University Press.