Postmodern Literary Theory 1946-present

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Postmodern Literary Theory 1946-present
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Definition

• Postmodernism- Holds that all worldviews are
  constructed by historical documents, by culture
  and religion postmodernism sees those worldviews
  as a function of power rather than truth.
• -Encompasses theories of art, literature,
  culture, architecture, etc.

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Postmodernism Characteristics/CULTure

• Reflect a sense of discontinuity (lack of
  stability) in the world
• Rethinks margins and borders
• A mistrust of the media as a presenter of facts
• The world is absurd no values/truths are
  eternal-everything is momentary
• Life just is

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Postmodernism Characteristics

• Belief that there is no Grand Design
• Reality is only as it is presented to us-
• There is no objective truth or reality
• Erodes distinction between classes people
• Create your own valuesno right, wrong, sin,
  etc.-
• No right or wrong lifestyle
• Biblical Truth irrelevant okay to dismiss
  whatever doesnt feel compatible with personal
  journey

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Postmodern Literature

• Mixing of fantasy w/ nonfiction
• No heroes
• Concern with the individual in isolation
• Detached, unemotional
• Usually humorless
• Narratives

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ARE YOU POST MODERN?

• You know more about "Gilligan's Island" than
  Einstein's theory of relativity.
• For the Postmodern, meaning is found in the
  messages seen in popular culture rather than
  through scientific inquiry.

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ARE YOU POST MODERN?

• You believe that values are "whatever works for
  you."
• The Postmodern sees rules as being good for the
  rule giver, but not for the one who has to follow
  the rules. Each person, in the Postmodern view,
  has the right to create his or her own value
  system.

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ARE YOU POST MODERN?

• You'd rather have ten options than one when
  purchasing a product (such as a TV, car, or
  dishwasher).
• The epitome of the Modern Era was the Model-T
  Ford. Everyone could be happy with the same
  model. The Postmodern wants options. Choice and
  personalization are everything.

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ARE YOU POST MODERN?

• You think that African history, Asian history,
  and Native American history are as important as
  Western European/American history.
• The Postmodern is multicultural. All the wisdom
  and knowledge of the world, gleaned from all
  cultures, places, and times, is available to the
  curious mind. No one culture is superior to
  another. Each has contributed to the development
  of the human race.

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ARE YOU POST MODERN?

• You have to experience it before you believe
  something is true.
• The Postmodern sees the discovery of emotions and
  human experience as being paramount. Postmoderns
  must experience something in the soul before they
  believe it.

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ARE YOU POST MODERN?

• You are plugged in to electronic media (radio,
  TV, DVD, ipod, computer) 75 percent of the time
  you are awake.
• The Postmodern is connected to the world through
  a wide variety of electronic communication
  devices in a way never seen before in history. A
  constant stream of information, both positive and
  negative, keeps the Postmodern plugged in to the
  beat of humanity. The Modern Era had the radio
  and then the TV the Postmodern added everything
  from personal computers to fax machines to the
  eighteen-inch satellite dish.

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ARE YOU POST MODERN?

• You have surfed the Net.
• The Internet is the ultimate Postmodern tool. It
  enables a person to send electronic mail in the
  flash of a second to any place in the world. With
  a few points and clicks, you can access the
  latest articles from Time magazine, see the
  latest displays from the Smithsonian Museum, or
  download the newest electronic pinup of Lois Lane
  from Lois and Clark. A world of information is at
  a person's fingertips.

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ARE YOU POST MODERN?

• You are more interested in spirituality than in
  religion.
• The Postmodern has no desire to be churched, to
  be boxed in by one set of rules or rituals. He or
  she does not want life to be set in stone.
  Spirituality, for Postmoderns, is tied to deeply
  held beliefs that give meaning to life lived in
  the midst of adversity. God is not to be pursued
  like a commodity. God is the one who gives depth
  and meaning to life.

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ARE YOU POST MODERN?

• You can watch TV, listen to the radio, and read
  all at the same time.
• The Modern person can process only one stream of
  information at a time. Postmoderns can process
  many different streams of information at the same
  time, enabling them to make unexpected
  connections.