The Concept of 'Postmodernism'
CHAPTER 1 The concept of ‘Postmodernism’- A Theoretical Approach
It is a cliché by now to say that we live in a postmodern world, and it is true that the word ’postmodern’ has become one of the most used, and abused, words in the language. Still, it is striking that not many people can say with assurance what this term actually means and involves. Some theorists suggest that ‘postmodernism’ refers to a mood or an attitude of mind, others define it as a literary, cultural, or philosophic phenomenon. Either way, critics haven’t agreed on a common definition for the concept. “Brian McHale points out that every critic “constructs” postmodernism in his or her own way from different perspectives, none more right or wrong that the others.”[i]
In a general sense, postmodernism is to be regarded as a rejection of many, if not most, of cultural certainties on which life in the West has been structured over the past couple of centuries. It has called into question our commitment to cultural ‘progress’ (that national economies must continue to grow, that the quality of life must keep improving indefinitely, etc.), as well as the political systems that have underpinned this belief.
Jean-François Lyotard associates this scepticism with the loss of ‘grand recits’. These 'grand narratives' are large-scale theories and philosophies of the world, such as the progress of history, the knowability of everything by science, and the possibility of absolute freedom. Lyotard argues that we have ceased to believe that narratives of this kind are adequate to represent and contain us all. We have become alert to difference, diversity, the incompatibility of our aspirations, beliefs and desires, and for that reason postmodernity is characterised by an abundance of micronarratives: „În societatea şi cultura contemporană, societate postindustrială, cultură postmodernă, problema legitimării cunoaşterii se pune în alţi termeni. Marea povestire şi-a pierdut
It is a cliché by now to say that we live in a postmodern world, and it is true that the word ’postmodern’ has become one of the most used, and abused, words in the language. Still, it is striking that not many people can say with assurance what this term actually means and involves. Some theorists suggest that ‘postmodernism’ refers to a mood or an attitude of mind, others define it as a literary, cultural, or philosophic phenomenon. Either way, critics haven’t agreed on a common definition for the concept. “Brian McHale points out that every critic “constructs” postmodernism in his or her own way from different perspectives, none more right or wrong that the others.”[i]
In a general sense, postmodernism is to be regarded as a rejection of many, if not most, of cultural certainties on which life in the West has been structured over the past couple of centuries. It has called into question our commitment to cultural ‘progress’ (that national economies must continue to grow, that the quality of life must keep improving indefinitely, etc.), as well as the political systems that have underpinned this belief.
Jean-François Lyotard associates this scepticism with the loss of ‘grand recits’. These 'grand narratives' are large-scale theories and philosophies of the world, such as the progress of history, the knowability of everything by science, and the possibility of absolute freedom. Lyotard argues that we have ceased to believe that narratives of this kind are adequate to represent and contain us all. We have become alert to difference, diversity, the incompatibility of our aspirations, beliefs and desires, and for that reason postmodernity is characterised by an abundance of micronarratives: „În societatea şi cultura contemporană, societate postindustrială, cultură postmodernă, problema legitimării cunoaşterii se pune în alţi termeni. Marea povestire şi-a pierdut