I think that the writer is trying to say that postmodernism is over-rated and now ‘past it’. Postmodernism isn’t defined to a time period and doesn’t have boundaries of any kind, therefore it’s a sketchy area. To be postmodern, something needs to be before its time – but what is that ‘time’? The writer seems to be saying that this ‘time’ is the when the product is made, so that it is an advancement that hasn’t yet been seen.
“Postmodernists do not attempt to refine their thoughts about what is right or wrong, true or false, good or evil. They believe that there isn’t such a thing as absolute truth.” Why is this? To be honest I think it’s because they don’t know it themselves - they won’t define postmodernism because they can’t. I can see why some people think that postmodernism is a load of rubbish. I’m not really sure if anything can be truly defined as being postmodern when there is no real, straight-forward definition for the idea. Yes, there is various theories on this idea but they’re all different – no-one really knows the real answer.
Modernism started just after World War 2 and that’s now in the past so even this idea doesn’t even relate to the present day (like the word suggests). So if postmodern means a time after modernism, does that mean that we’re in the postmodern era now? But then that surely means that postmodernism can’t be something which is before its time, like the writer is trying to say.
I wouldn’t go as far to say that postmodernism is a load of rubbish but I’m not far off saying it. When somebody actually gives me a proper definition of postmodernism that seems to me to be a good one, and not just your average dictionary definition, then I might start coming round to the idea. Until then, a lot of hard work is required to convince me, I think. (Good luck with that!)
Although this may be the case, there are some central characterisitics that will help form a better understanding of the foundations of the postmodern.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Postmodernism rejects all boundaries like modernism.The art development of bricolage and pastiche are examples of how this rejection also includes the boundaries between different forms and genres of art. To continue, "there is a concentration on fragmentation and discontinuity as well as ambiguity." The idea of disorder and fragmentation are seen as a more acceptable representation of reality by postmodernists, which were previosly seen as negative qualities.
Postmodern though sees simultaneuos views as an important part of the " complex patterning of reality", not as contradictury.