Definition of Post-Modernism:
The Oxford English Dictionary refers to Postmodernism as:
"a style and concept in the arts characterized by a distrust of theories and ideologies and by the drawing of attention to conventions".
Jean Baudrillard, a French cultural theorist as well as a philosopher, offered a theory on the definition of Postmodernism. The main belief Baudrillard and also Jean Lyotard shared, was that the ideas that people claim as truths or 'grand narratives' can be challenged and that the truth needs to be 'deconstructed'.
They believe that truth is relative and that it is up to each individual to determine for himself.
Post-modernism occurred after the Modernist period of the 19th century and early 20th century. Some believe post-modernism to be a response of the modernist's views. Therefore it was not until around 1945 (after WW2) that post-modernism began after the "disenchantment brought about by the Second World War". The main difference between Modernism and Post-modernism is that the Modernist approach was objective, theoretical and analytical, while the Post-modernism approach was based on subjectivity. Due to the advancement in technology such as computers, media technology and televisions that became dominant in society, the Modernist era was eradicated as literacy arts were not considered to bear a deeper meaning but people believed in acquiring their own meanings. This led to art and literacy works being copied by such advancements with the internet and so this is why Post-modernist's believe culture "eats itself" and so nothing new can be produced.
Therefore, Post-modernist's believe that society has reached a state of what Baudrillard named a Simulacrum: meaning the distinction between media and reality has collapsed and our 'reality' is now determined by images and representation.
This is a famous by Rene Magritte picture which is considered to be post-modern. The text in French underneath the picture of a pipe reads: "This is not a pipe". Therefore, this is one example of the blurred lines of reality as it is not a pipe...merely a picture of a pipe.
Jean Baudrillard also theorised the concept of a Hyper-reality, defined as the "hypothetical inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from fantasy, especially in technologically advanced postmodern cultures". This means that the media can create images which refer to each other, representing a reality but not the true reality in which the image first existed. This therefore shows the state of simulacrum.
Post-modern characteristics:
Therefore, Post-modern media texts challenge people's conceptions of truth and reality and they are believed to "remove the illusion" that texts or images can create reality or a definitive truth. Post-modernists are able to do this by 're-mixing' representations through certain features:
- Pastiche - this is where a work imitates that of another work.
- Parody - an imitation of a style which is emphasised for dramatic effect.
- Intertextuality - when a media text makes reference to another text to
create a meaning, it can be referred to as borrowing or
transforming a text.
Sarah Flanagan gives 5 features of a post-modern text:
-Playfulness and self referential:
Unlike classical narratives, post-modern films draw attention to itself as a construction. It is believed to position itself in context of other texts with distances the audience.
- Generic blurring and Intertextuality:
This generic blurring is called bricolage where a text borrows different genres and references other texts which results in a patchwork of generic references.
- Popular and commercial media meet 'high culture':
The division between high brow (literature, opera) and low brow (pop music, computer games) have eroded and texts are removed from their period. One good example of this is Moulin Rouge. This challenges audiences to the importance of chronologically correct history.
- Fragmentation and the death of representation:
Fragments from other texts have been used so much that media representations have become the dominant way of making sense of reality.
- Uncertainty and loss of context:
All these features create a sense of uncertainty as we are unsure if there are any generic rules and representations only refer to other representations. This is controversial in society and it challenges belief systems.
Case Studies of Post-modern Media Texts:
- The Matrix
- Natural Born Killers
- Scott Pilgrim vs The World
