The Title of This Session Is Postmodern Approaches to Teaching and Learning The Eight Key Points of Postmodernism 1 Key Point #1 • A continuation of the Modernist idea that the world is inherently evil Key Point #1 • A continuation of the Modernist idea that the world is inherently evil – But a refusal to let this even remotely destroy the spirit 2 Key Point #2 • Playfulness – Often – Oftentimes during situations traditionally viewed as above being “played around with” • Example: In Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse-Five every time anyone/anything dies the author writes: “So it goes.” – 106 times throughout this “war” novel 3 Key Point #3 • A desire to identify the problems, and their machinations that make the world evil. – Because how else are we going to begin to address them – They have been criticized for spending too much time identifying and discussing the problems and not doing enough to address them. • This can stem from the fact that in Postmodernism there is … Key Point #4 • A denial of “grand narratives” “master narratives” • Therefore, also, a denial of “transcendent or universal truths” – Jean-Francois Lyotard says “Simplifying to the extreme, I define Postmodernism as incredulity towards metanarratives” This then lessens the authority that could be assigned to any viewpoint This gives rise to… 4 Key Point #4 continued • A movement away from the apparent objectivity of omniscient third person narration and toward a subjective first or third person style • A valuing of the culturally particular over the “universal”, and of the equal value of all cultures, as well as each culture constituting an equally important reality • Viewing the self as “constructed” See also: Multiplicity 5 See also: Collaboration See also: An instability And: A suspicion of anything that lays claim to “meaning” 6 Key Point #5 • An emphasis on fragmented forms, discontinuous narratives, and random seeing collages. – Non-linear narratives – A blurring of the lines of reality and fantasy / reality and fiction / authentic and copied / natural good and consumer good See also: Multiplicity 7 See also: Pastiche • Pastiche is a tongue-in-cheek imitation or tribute used in literature, art, music, movies, etc. • Performed with respect to, or in homage to, other works (as opposed to parody which is done in ridicule or sarcasm). • A popular example is the cartoon The Simpsons, known for its pop culture references and recycled plots. (from onpostmodernism.com.terms) See also: Aleatory 8 See also: Remixing See also: Sampling 9 See also: Playlists See also: Mash ups 10 See also: Jigsaws See also: Multi-genre writing 11 See also: Bricolage • Bricolage is a processes by which traditional objects or language are given a new, often subversive, meaning and context. • Art technique where works are constructed from various available materials ("found items" or mass-produced "junk"). • A mashup or creation from a diverse range of existing items or ideas (from onpostmodernism.com.terms) See also: Faction • Faction- a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events woven together with fictitious characters, events, and conversations and using the storytelling techniques of fiction • Examples: Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow Forrest Gump 12 Key Point #6 • An increasing tendency toward reflexivity / self-consciousness / self-reference in and about the production of art and the relationship between the artist, critic, and audience. See also: Reflexivity • Acknowledging that the work of art is a constructed object, and that the self is ever present, therefore, Postmodern authors have inserted themselves into their works of art as characters • Ex: Kurt Vonnegut appearing as a character in SLH-5, Paul Auster as a character in City of Glass , Charlie Kaufman writing himself into Adaptation, countless hip hop artists placing themselves in their songs 13 Key Point #7 • A rejection of the distinction between high class and low class/popular culture both in choice of media and in subject Key Point #7 • A rejection of the Medium Presentation distinction between high class and low class/popular culture High class oil Shakespeare’s both in choice of marble blank verse media and in presentation Low class Crayon Advertisements Dung Tabloids Puff paint Science fiction 14 See also: Readymades • Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain” See also: Chris Ofili • These works of art were composed using elephant dung and puff paint 15 See also Jeff Koons See also: Pop Art Warhol Lichtenstein 16 See also: Plastic as art medium Key Point #8 • An emphasis on how seeing and reading take place (sometimes superseding what is actually seen or read) – How we go about reading. – How we look at a text. 17 Key Point #8 • An emphasis on how seeing and reading take place (sometimes superseding what is actually seen or read) – Examples would include postmodern sculptures like Carl Andre’s Equivalent (1966) • Audiences are left to consider the context rather than the content of the work, and to ask “what is the point of this?” or “why is this in a museum?” oftentimes above “what does this mean?” Carl Andre’s Equivalent 18 See also: VHS DVD DVR On-Demand See also: Remixing 19 See also: Playlists See also: Mash Ups 20 See also: Jigsaws • Nonfiction Jigsaws Also • Fiction Jigsaws See also: • B.S. Johnson’s The Unfortunates – A novel that comes in 27 different pieces, that each reader can read in a different order, thus allowing for every human being ever born to come to the story in a different order 21 Postmodern Authors • Douglas Addams Phillip K Dick Phillip Roth • Gloria Anzaldua E.L. Doctorow Salman Rushdie • Margaret Atwood Bret Easton Ellis Art Spiegelman • Paul Auster Dave Eggers Mark Strand • Amiri Baraka William Gibson Hunter S Thompson • John Barth Steven Hall Kurt Vonnegut • Jorge Luis Borges Joseph Heller David Foster Wallace • Anthony Burgess Kazuo Ishiguro • William S Burroughs Suzan Lori-Parks • Italo Calvino Gabriel Garcia Marquez • Michael Chabon Toni Morrison • Sandra Cisneros Haruki Murakami • Chris Cleave Vladimir Nabokov • Douglas Coupland Tim O'Brien • Mark Z Danielewski Chuck Palahniuk • Don Delillo Thomas Pynchon • Junot Diaz Ishmael Reed Key Point #9: Flattening of Affect • Flattening of affect is a scientific term describing a person's detachment and lack of emotional reactivity. • Used in the postmodern literature to describe technology's dehumanizing impact. • A key example is the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey - where the main characters lose their humanity whereas the computer HAL gains "his". (from onpostmodernism.com.terms) 22.