Fight Club....A Favourite Post Modern Text...

DISCLAIMER; If you have not seen the film Fight Club I strongly, STRONGLY advise you to refrain from reading this blog post, as for the purpose of analysis, some of the plot twists have been highlighted!

David Fincher's 1999 film, 'Fight Club' displays a number of aspects that affiliate it with post modernity...

Self Reflexivity - Edward Norton who plays the unnamed protagonist (arguably a postmodern feature in itself!) provides a narration throughout the film, and in some cases, directly addresses the presence of the camera; especially in the sequence where we discover the occupations of Tyler Durden. This therefore breaks down the 'fourth wall' between the text and the audience.
In addition, there are a number of times when particular characters draw the audience's attention to the construction of the text. This in turn destroys the sense of a self-contained verisimilitude of which we as the viewer are expected to consume as 'reality'. The most notable example of this is the scene in which Tyler Durden discusses the art of film editing with a combination of special effects to emphasis the "cigarette burn".

The Postmodern condition and Self Involvement - The examination of human nature and behaviour is a key concept within the film. It relates to post modernity because it shows that the director not only considered the thematic conventions, but also what the contemporary age has 'done' to society. The belief that we have all become selfish is personified through the actions of both Marla Singer and Norton's character, who exploit community support groups (meant for the terminally ill etc) for their own personal and emotional advantage.

Intertextuality - There are many examples of intertextuality in the film, but the most prominent and my personal favourite, is that of the Ikea sequence. Not only does it convey a strong link to capitalist consumerism (and arguably style over substance depending on your view of Ikea!) but the graphics used also destroy the realism of the text.

















Confusions over Time and Space - This confusion is largely caused by the pivotal twist of 'Fight Club' when the audience discovers the Tyler Durden - a major character throughout the film - never really existed at all and what they were really viewing was the alter-ego of Norton's character. This throws the chronological order of the narrative into turmoil because we are forced to reevaluate the sequence of events in a different pace. The form of the twist is also extremely ironic; yet another convention of post modernism.

Decline of the Meta Narrative and Baudrillard's Theory - The decline of the meta narrative is a major player in the plot of the film as the concept of - or lack of - idols is one that is introduced frequently. Additionally, the fight club also becomes a form of meta narrative in itself. It originates from a minor, underground gathering of suppressed individuals, but soon spills over into mainstream society and mutates into a far-reaching cult, which members fully absorb themselves in.
Perhaps this was Fincher's method of conveying his anxiety surrounding the shift away from the tradition institutions (religion, the family etc).
As a result, 'Fight Club' shares a strong affiliation with Baudrillard's first core principle that the 'truth' needs to be deconstructed. In particular, this links to Durden's rebellion against the American authority and the Capitalist institutions. However, Durden's preaching proves hollow and just as deceiving in the end; relating to Baudrillard's opinion that one meta narrative shouldn't simply be replaced by another, but rather ALL truths should be considered with suspicion and scepticism.

Surrealism - Fincher has incorporated many aspects into 'Fight Club' that destroy the realism of the piece. Not only are graphics such as text and images layered on top of the footage during post production, but there is also a sequence which depicts the narrator's daydream during a Support group therapy session. He finds himself in an ice cave with a computer generated penguin who subsequently tells him to "slide!"....thus completely tearing down the facade of a 'real world' behind the silver screen.