The Aesthetics ofPostmodernism

Modernity

God, reason and progress

There was a center to the universe.

Progress is based upon knowledge, and man is capable of discerning objective absolute truths in science and the arts.

Modernism is linked to capitalism—progressive economic administration of world

Modernization of 3rd world countries (imposition of modern Western values)

Newtonian Order

TRADITIONAL WESTERN “MODERN” THINKING

What is Modernism?

The world according to White Anglo-Saxon males, based upon the mythology of Western Europe, rooted in the Judeo-Christian religion and Greek-Roman philosophy.

Western man is superior.

Progress, reason and science are the highest manifestations of humanity.

Western man was put one earth to modernize the world (e.g., Manifest Density, the Columbus myth).

The rest of the world consists of barbarians and “orientals” (ergo, colonialization)

Acceptance of a New Age

POSTMODERNISM

“Modern” View of Literature & Film

Good literature is of timeless significance.

The text will reveal constants, universal truths, about human nature, because human nature itself is constant and unchanging.

Good literature is honest and sincere.

Art is to be respected, and belongs on a pedestal.

There are accepted traditional standards for different art forms & genres that should be obeyed and respected.

Purpose of Literature

TRADITIONAL WESTERN “MODERN” THINKING

Language: The “Modern” View

People are the same everywhere

There are universal laws and truths

Knowledge is objective, independent of culture, gender, etc.

Language is a man-made tool that refers to real things / absolute truths

I, the subject, speak language

I have a discernible self

The self is the center of existence

What Is Language?

as

TRADITIONAL WESTERN “MODERN” THINKING

Modernism

Early 1900s:

World War I

Worldwide poverty & exploitation

Death of the Old Order

PRECURSORS OF POSTMODERNISM

Modernism

Early 1900s:

World War I

Worldwide poverty & exploitation

Intellectual upheaval:

Freud: psychoanalysis

Marx: class struggle

Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Neitzsche

Picasso, Stravinsky, Kafka, Proust, Brecht, Joyce, Eliot

Death of the Old Order

PRECURSORS OF POSTMODERNISM

Relativism

Einstein: relativity, quantum mechanics

Refutation of Newtonian science

Time is relative

Matter and energy are one

Light as both particle and wave

Universe is strange

The Bending of Time & Space

PRECURSORS OF POSTMODERNISM

E=mc2

Modernist Art

Cubism

Surrealism

Dadaism

Expressionism

Different ways of depicting reality

Fragmentation of reality

BUT STILL A BELIEF IN AN OBJECTIVE REALITY (for the most part)

Breaking the Rules

PRECURSORS OF POSTMODERNISM

What is Postmodernism?

A term applied to all human sciences —anthropology, psychology, architecture, history, etc.

Anti-foundational

Anti-Western

Rejection of universal truths and grand narratives

Truth is pluralistic, dependent upon the frame of reference of the observer

Celebrates diversity

Acceptance of a New Age

POSTMODERNISM

What is Postmodernism?

The Enlightenment project is toast.

Acceptance of a New Age

POSTMODERNISM

Postmodernism: Basic Concepts

All versions of reality are SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS

Concepts of good and evil

Metaphors for God

Language

The self

Gender

Aesthetics

EVERYTHING!

The End of Master Narratives

POSTMODERNISM

Postmodernism: Basic Concepts

Life just is

All “truths” are contingent cultural constructs

Mass-mediated reality

Multiple conflicting identities

Sense of fragmentation and decentered self

Does not mourn loss of history or universal truths

The End of Master Narratives

POSTMODERNISM

Postmodernism: Basic Concepts

Knowledge is contingent, contextual and linked to POWER

Values are derived from ordinary social practices, which differ from culture to culture and change with time

Values are determined by manipulation and domination

Language is a social construct that “speaks” & identifies the subject

Language As Social Construct

POSTMODERNISM

Postmodern View of Language

Observer is a participant/part of what is observed

Receiver of message is a component of the message

Information becomes information only when contextualized

The individual (the subject) is a cultural construct

Consider role of own culture when examining others

All interpretation is conditioned by cultural perspective and mediated by symbols and practice

The Observer is King

POSTMODERNISM

Postmodern View of Language

SIGNIFIED

Meaning

SIGNIFIER

Sound or written word

Signifier & Signified

as

STRUCTURALISM

Postmodern View of Language

SIGNIFIED

Meaning

SIGNIFIER

Sound or written word

Signifier & Signified

as

STRUCTURALISM

as

Postmodern View of Language

SIGNIFIED

Meaning

SIGNIFIER

Sound or written word

Signifier & Signified

as

STRUCTURALISM

OTHER SIGNIFIERS

Sound or written words

as

Modernity PostModern

History as fact

Faith in social order

Family as central unit

Authenticity of originals

Mass consumption

Binary Oppositions

POSTMODERNISM

Written by the victors

Cultural pluralism

Alternate families

Hyper-reality (MTV)

Niches; small group identity

Modern or Postmodern?

POSTMODERNISM

Modern or Postmodern?

POSTMODERNISM

Modern or Postmodern?

POSTMODERNISM

Modern or Postmodern?

POSTMODERNISM

Modern or Postmodern?

POSTMODERNISM

A gay Southern Baptist who practices Buddhist meditation and believes in the Big Bang theory.

Modern or Postmodern

PostModern Literature & Film

No guiding traditional grand narratives

Extreme freedom of form and expression

Rejects traditional linear narratives

Plays with time and space

Repudiation of boundaries of narration & genre

Self-reflexive

Deliberate violation of standards of sense and decency (which are viewed as methods of social control)

It’s only a movie

POSTMODERNISM

4-2-5-1-6-2-3-4

PostModern Literature & Film

Characters on the margins of society

Mix of high and low brow art forms

Integration of everyday experience, pop and consumer culture

Playful treatment of serious subjects (no gnashing of teeth)

Doesn’t take itself seriously (no pretentious universal truths)

Has fun with language and imagery (MTV like)

Mix of media & styles

POSTMODERNISM

PostModern Literature & Film

Death of the “modern” hero

From Greek literature to “modern” times

“Great” men who triumph over evil

Rugged, self-reliant individuals

High moral values

Conquerors, prophets, visionaries

Heroes for the rest of us to worship and emulate

Highest reflection of our desired national or cultural identity

Rocky is Dead

POSTMODERNISM

PostModern Literature & Film

The postmodern “anti-hero”

Imperfect individuals “trapped in existence”

Convey moods of cynicism, fear and distrust

Limited “powers” to resolve problems

Often fail in their ventures

Frequently outcasts, at the margins of society

Deeper, richer characters

Reflections of a decentralized world order

Create own “moral” standards

Creatures of the dark side

POSTMODERNISM

PostModern Literature & Film

Anti-Heroes

POSTMODERNISM

PostModern Literature Parody, play, black humor, pastiche

Ambiguities and uncertainties

Ironic detachment

Postcolonial, global-English literature

Global

Celebrate diversity of views and lifestyles

Fragmented Identities

POSTMODERNISM

Pastiche--Self-referential, tongue-in-cheek, rehashes of classic pop culture

Flattening of Affect--Technology, violence, drugs, and the media lead to detached, emotionless, unauthentic lives

Hyperreality--Technologically created realities are often more authentic or desirable than the real world

Time Bending--Time travel provides another way to shape reality and play "what if" games with society

Altered States--Drugs and technology provide a darker, sometimes psychedelic, gateway to new internal realities

More Human than Human--Artificial intelligence, robotics, and cybernetics seek to enhance, or replace, humanity

Fragmented Identities

POSTMODERNISM

Overview of Postmodern Movies

Examples of Postmodern Film

Fragmented Identities

POSTMODERNISM

Literary & FilmTheory

Celebrating Diversity

POSTMODERNISM

Different constructs of reality

“Lenses” through which we see the world ?

PostModernism

“The narrative is unraveled, the author is dead, the Enlightenment project is toast, and history is history.”

“An epochal shift in the basic condition in being.”

--Geoffrey Nunberg

An Epochal Shift in Thinking

POSTMODERNISM

Battle of World Views

HOLLYWOOD FUNDAMENTIALISM

POSTMODERNISM vs. FOUNDATIONALISM

VS

PostModernism

A Global Battle:

THE OBJECTIVISTS vs. THE CONSTRUCTIVISTSModern Postmodern

Battle of World Views

POSTMODERNISM

PostModernism

Modernists are still around

My Way

POSTMODERNISM

“When I said during my presidential bid that I would only bring Christians and Jews into the government, I hit a firestorm. How dare you maintain that those who believe in the Judeo-Christian values are better qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?' My simple answer is, `Yes, they are.'”

-from Pat Robertson's "The New World Order"

PostModernism

You can be a Christian (or Buddhist, or Hindu, etc.) in the postmodern world.

God is Not Dead

POSTMODERNISM

PostModernism

We all slip and slide between the objective and constructive views:

1. We live in a world of naïve realism. (We accept grand narratives as true.)

2. But when we think about things, or have to explain our views, we become constructivists.

We Live in the Middle

POSTMODERNISM

PostModernism

THE HOPE OF POSTMODERNISTS:

The deconstruction of foundational views will lead to a recognition and acceptance of a pluralistic worldview.

Create a truly global civilization.

Celebrating Diversity

POSTMODERNISM