Postmodern Vocabulary

• ·       An emphasis on style at the expense of substance and content- Style over substance- A crucial implication is that in a post-modern culture, surfaces and styles become more important, and evoke in turn a kind of 'designer ideology'. Alternatively, as Harvey puts it...'images dominate narrative'. The argument is that we increasingly consume images and signs for their own sake rather than for their 'usefulness' or for deeper values they might symbolise. We consume images and signs precisely because they are images and signs, and disregard their questions of usefulness and value. Consequently, qualities like "artistic merit", integrity, seriousness and authenticity, realism, intellectual depth and strong narratives tend to be undermined. Moreover, virtual reality computer graphics can allow people to experience various forms of reality "second hand". These surface simulations can therefore potentially replace their real life counterparts (virtual reality sex for example).
• ·       Confusions over time and space
• ·       Decline of the meta-narrative A meta narrative is something which claims to explain something totally (e.g. Christianity, Marxism). Since our society has become so fragmented, we live by individual beliefs rather than collective ones. Postmodern texts reflect this state of being by being ambiguous in their meaning and message, defying an absolute truth. Lyotard introduced this theory but also criticised it
• ·       (Strinati’s Five Features of a Postmodern Text, also includes the breakdown of a distinction between high art and popular culture and the breakdown of a distinction between culture and society)
• ·       Mixing of styles- hybrid genres/ hybridization- Though mostly relating to films, a mixing of styles refers to genres that are put together in one text. For example. Shaun of the Dead is comedy, but is also a horror considering its storyline and is therefore a hybrid genre of horror and comedy- romzomcom
• ·        Intertextuality- A device that creates an “interrelationship between texts” and generates related understanding in separate works. This is done to influence the audience and add layers of depth
• ·       Pastiche- Pastiche in itself is a mechanism of intertextuality, imitating and celebrating other artist’s work through homage to it
• ·       Bricolage- A work that combines existing material, independent of their original purpose
• ·       Hyperreality/ Temporal distortion- Hyperreal is the term that theorist Jean Baudrillard used to explain signs that appear more real than reality. Some common examples of hyperreality are wax museums and the attractions at Disneyland, where in many cases our conscious state has trouble distinguishing reality from the simulation of reality. The use of hyperreality is also common within the advertising image, where reality is intentionally improved and exaggerated.
• ·       Knowingness- Irony and cynicism are the most authentic forms of expression. Self-concious, self-contradictory and self- undermining statements convey a sense of our place in the world. Since few people trust their convictions or believe the world can change for the better, irony and cynicism is the only option-- Irony and Black Humour
• ·       Identity as image- The self is replaced by identity, and identity is a collage of cultural scraps. It is perhaps for this reason that theories are to be abandoned.
• ·       Fragmentation- It relates to Lyotard’s theory of metanarratives, in that it rejects any kind of ‘total’ or ‘universal’ ideas. Fragmentation, most commonly discussed in relation to society and identities, explains the plurality of views, theories, styles, etc., that co-exist within cultures without any claiming superiority over the others. Postmodern theory stresses fragmentations, discontinuities and disorder, as opposed to the order, rationality and minimalism that characterised modernist thought.
• Cultural Flattening- Postmodernists believe that modernism is elitist and relies heavily on the separation of high and low culture. Postmodern theory suggests that these ideals are no longer relevant and claims that ideas and meanings move through culture without attachment to these dichotomies. It is argued that in recent years, technological advancements, amongst other things, have blurred the line between high and low culture.
• Pluralism- Put simply, pluralism favours the multiple over the one. A society that is pluralistic will equally tolerate all cultures and their traditions. Pluralistic philosophy will recognise more than just one definitive principle. Postmodernists such as Barthes believe that texts do not just contain one meaning, but a plurality of meanings. Pluralistic art would lend itself to a number of styles and methods and value them all equally.