key terms

Postprefix which means after

Modernism
time of belief in an absolute universal truth

= after the time of belief in an absolute universal truth

comparison
Modernism
Industrial Revolution
Laments fragmentation

Postmodernism
Period of mass media Celebrates fragmentation

Works of art can Works of art cannot provide meaning to provide meaning to the world the meaningless world Learn things to know Learn things to use them them

origin
Failure of Industrial Revolution, WWII and Poverty (1900-1940s) Revolt against dehumanization of industrialism Sense that Western culture had lost its bearings & values

0origin
Failure of Industrial Revolution, WWII and Poverty (1900-1940s) Exposure of hypocritical moralism of Christianity Popularization of Charles Darwins evolutionary theory

peak
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!

significant events
Space

(1950s) Identity Movements: Feminism and Black Power (1960s) Beatles (1963)

Race

significant events
JFK

Assassination (1963) Culture Wars: Debates over Canonical Inclusion (1980s) Release of Michael Jacksons Thriller (1983)

philosophy
Postmodernism is incredulity towards Meta-narratives.

Jean-Francois Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition (1979)

philosophy
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.

key concept
Deconstruction by Jacques Derrida
Texts

are incapable of conveying truth about objective reality Released text ends the authors ownership

trends
Iconoclasm:

standards Groundless: anti-final interpretation Formlessness: anti-influential metaphor Populism: anti-restriction

anti-cultural

economics
Global

economy Outsourcing and free trade agreements Decline in manufacturing Rise in unemployment Increase in part-time flexible and home working

CONSUMER CAPITALISM

economics

art
LIMITLESS
Nonlinearity Multiple

styles, multiple goals Seemingly disjointed Influence of digital technology

art

Marilyn Monroe by Andi Warhol

art

Playing with Gods by Morimura Yasumasa

art

How Mali Lost Her Accent by Pacita Abad

art

Cocktail Party by Sandy Skoglund

art

Wrapped Trees

architecture
BOLD AESTHETICS
Styles

collide New ways of viewing familiar styles Artists call attention to their environment rather than to themselves

architecture

Guggenheim Museum by Frank Gehry

architecture

Dancing House by Vlado Milunic

architecture

DG Bank Building by Hans Schober

architecture

Royal Ontario Museum by William Thorsell

architecture

Food Theater Caf by Daniel Libeskind

society
MULTICULTURALISM
Breakdown

boundaries Discussing sex is not a taboo Can be in any religion and still recognize others

of cultural

society
King of Talk Boy Abunda

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

Playboy

Gay Marriage

Baz Luhrmans Romeo and Juliet

Barack Obama

media
HYPERREALITY
More

real than reality itself Reality as entertainment Refers to other texts and assumes familiarity Emphasis on image and style rather than meaning

media

The Matrix

Homer Simpson as Da Vincis Human Body

Spiderman Kiss in Shrek

Reality TV

Madonna

media

Lady Gaga

lifestyle
TECHNOPOLY
Revolves

around Cyberspace and Virtual Reality Social interactions happen online Cocooning - people cannot live without computer

Social Networking

lifestyle

Vaticans Youtube Account

Cyber Bullying

lifestyle
Cocooning

probLem
There is no absolute truth is a statement that claims to be absolutely true. Therefore, Postmodernism refutes itself.

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

??

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BA!

CHARACTERISTICS
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

COMMON THEMES
Irony,

playfulness, black humor Pastiche Metafiction Paranoia Temporal distortion Intertextuality

foreign examples
Joseph Heller
Known

for his satires and playwrights Works center on the lives of various members of the middle class

Catch 22
Has

a non-chronological style Events are described from different points -of-view so that the time line develops along with the plot

foreign examples
Kurt Vonnegut
Known

works Blends satire, black comedy, and science fiction to create novels

for using Pastiche in his

Breakfast of Champions
Uses

paranoia Has a character who becomes violent when he imagines people as robots while he remains as the only human

foreign examples
Thomas Pynchon
Known

for fictional writing over many different subjects such as science, mathematics and history

The Crying of Lot 49

Uses

humorous wordplay while discussing serious subjects Has comic character names (e.g. Mike Fallopian, Stanley Koteks and Dr. Hilarius)

foreign examples
Amy Tan
Known

for writing works which explore mother-daughter relationships

The Kitchen Gods Wife

Challenges

the dominant narratives of contemporary society about who matters and who does not

local examples
Jessica Hagedorn
Known

for works with a collision of cultures, the saga of immigration, cultural meltdown and renewal

Dogeaters
Uses

a whirlwind pastiche of life in the Philippines just before the fall of the Marcos regime

local examples
Nick Carbo
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

Secret Asian Man

local examples
Miguel Syjuco
Locally

and Internationally acclaimed Filipino writer 2008 winner of Palanca Awards Grand Prize for English Novel and Man Asian Literary Prize

Names

a character after the author himself who investigates to discover the truth behind the death of renowned writer Crispin Salvador

Ilustrado

conclusion
How is Postmodernism related to Popular Culture?
Postmodernism
birth of individual interpretations of reality

Popular Culture
mass commercial culture

Cultural commodities which have resources that people can consume to give meaning to their social identity and relations become popular.

references
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.