POSTMODERNISM 

Simplified (lecture notes)
From the Desk of Prof. Anil Awad 

POSTMODERNISM

Let me tell you the story of ‘King Lear’. King Lear divides his Kingdom between his two daughters and banishes his beloved daughter Cordelia, for trivial ego. And the tragedy begins. Plot, sub-plot, moves and counter moves, madness, deaths and disasters. Nemesis - the evils meet their fate but the innocents also have to pay the price. A very heart touching tragedy...! But have you noticed one character? He represents the postmodern approach throughout the tragedy. The Fool. When King Lear is in agony...because he lost his Crown, he consoles him, " Uncle, give me an egg and I will give you two crowns." HOW? The Fool offers the explanation - He will cut the egg into two halves and eat the edible part and offer the two remains of the egg as two crowns...to the king. Can you imagine someone making fun in such situations? The Fool neither contribute to the development of the plot nor it is his function...but never forgets to comment upon it and exits unnoticed. The Fool doesn't make any bombastic statements like the other characters in the play...but what he asserts...is the truth. Postmodernists are like the Fool.

Postmodernists are the skeptical; they doubt everything but never tell where to believe. Questioning authenticity and reliability of everything is the main task of postmodernists, but they do not possess right answer. They don’t have their own house, but never stop pelting stones to others’ houses. They don’t create any chaos but make loud noise.

While learning postmodernism...remember one thing. Don't try to define it. Defining postmodernism is against the law of postmodernism itself. (Note: The definitions you come to across about postmodernism are merely the way to analyze it.) Postmodernism is like flowing water...so it is also called as 'continuity of time. You cannot touch the same water twice...so the postmodernism. This continuity prevents you to reach certain definition. You can ridicule and make fun of the situations/story/genre by commenting upon it...and still keep yourself unimpressed...like the Fool in King Lear. No need to create something new...use the past..make fun of it and enjoy.

Now see some examples. As we know, ‘Sholey’ is one of the best Indian Movie. Every scene, character, song has unique presentation. It is a record-break well accepted movie. But in the later age or even today, it is the most parodied movie. We see the parodies of scenes in many movies. Yesterday I saw one parody. Gabbar was shouting "He haath humko de de Thakur." (Give me your hands, Thakur!) Thakur answers, "Tere pass to pehalese do haath hai Gabbar, mere do haath lekar kya Ganpati bannana hai?" (You already have two hands Gabbar. What would you do with mine two? Would you want to become... Ganapati?)

I don't know how many of you have seen the movie "300 Spartans". A very good War Movie. 300 soldiers of Leonidus were standing against the mighty army of Xerexus. But the same concept of bravery is ridiculed in "Meet the Spartans." It is a kind of postmodernism. Postmodernism is not the way of 'thinking', like other isms (Marxism, Feminism, Modernism), but a way of 'analyzing'. It is not 'content', but a 'technique'. Defining postmodernism can kill its true motive..

Now come to literature. Postmodernism doesn't deny any -ism, instead we find its roots in modernism. As we have seen in previous posts the term 'modernism' is related to experimentations, break from the tradition, a kind of rejection of the past, regret for the past, an agony while saying 'good bye', something nostalgic. BUT POSTMODERNISTS ACCEP EVERYTHING VIRTUALLY AND TRY TO POINT OUT DEFICIENCIES IN THE WORK OF ART IN THEIR OWN WAY. The true fun begins here.

I cant stop the temptation, to assert the example from Ted Hughes’ Crow Poems. The Biblical idea of very existence of Human Beings is rightly ridiculed by him. Here the Crow symbolizes true Postmodernist. It makes 'Childish Prank' of the Bible.

Now take your favorite example of 'Waiting for Godot'. The play is a very good bridge between Modernism and Postmodernism. At one end it represents a new kind of experimentation and at the other end it ridicules the supremacy of -isms over existence. It is not a regular traditional play as it associates itself to the modern experimentations and not fully postmodern play because it promotes existentialism, a kind of philosophy. But it consists of the best of the both – modernism and postmodernism. In this sense ‘Catch 22’ or ‘Animal Farm’ are the apt examples of postmodernism. The principles of Equality, Fraternity and Brotherhood are rightly ridiculed in the novel ‘Animal Farm’. ‘All animals are equal but some are more equal than the others.’- a true postmodern statement.

As previously stated, postmodernism and modernism are the two sides of the same coin. See the similarities and differences between the two sides.

1) Innovative practices found prior place in modernism. While Parody and Irony is the essential part of postmodernism. The every innovative taken by the modernists are ridiculed by postmodernists.

2) Modernists regret the loss of the past…postmodernists enjoy it.

3) In modernism, the meaning of the work of art is writer-centered. For post-modernism, it is reader-centered. (Reader Response Theory)

4) Fragmentation is the part of both modernism & Postmodernism. The difference is – modernists try to come to the definite conclusion while for the postmodernists, it may be the new beginning.

5) Experimentation, break from tradition, nostalgia, fragmentations etc are the tools to understand modernism. Inter-textuality(the relation between various texts), hypertext (digital link) , disorientation (delusion), meta language (language describing language), meta fiction (partial involvement of the writer as well as reader) etc. are the special characteristics of postmodernism.

6) Allusions and Cross-references find prior place in modernism while distortion (jumping forward-backward frequently) is the part of postmodernism.

7) Modernists give some respect to realism while hyperreality {inability of consciousness to distinguish between reality and simulated (promoted) reality. For example – The Matrix series} and magical realism {fantastic or impossible elements treated to be true. For example ‘Harry Potter’ series) are the essential elements of postmodernism.

8) Modernists believed in the first hand experience of the elements while in postmodernism era secondary orality (depending on secondary source like TV, Internet, Social Media) has found prior place.

9) Modernists try to assert definition or definite conclusion to the genre. Postmodernists are like the parasite…exploited and grew up.

10) In the Post 9/11 world, the connotation and denotation of modernism and postmodernism has been changed radically. For some critics, postmodernism has met with its fate and we are entering in a new era….yet to be defined.

Thanks.

(Since these are the lecture notes - inconveniences related to syntax, grammar, punctuation etc. are regretted.)

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