Postmodernism

What is Postmodernism?

Postmodernism is a literary, philosophical and visual concept which makes new assumptions about culture, identity and language. It is concerned with the uncertainty of contemporary life. It suggests that in a world driven by consumerism originality no longer exists, it rejects the ideologies of modernism and is typified by a sense of cynicism and irony.

  Postmodernism is anti-theory : it opposes all of the traditional structural theories and claims that the nature of modern life is so complex and fragmented that no theory can address all of these elements. Culture and identity are either self-constructs or defined by a new and ever changing set of relationships.

 Jean Francois Lyotard in The Postmodern Condition (1979) argues that modern society has rejected ‘metanarratives’ (liberalism, Marxism, religion etc.) that we no longer believe in universalistic stories and overarching totalizing thought, rejecting not only theory but the cultural values of modernism.

Jean Baudrillard ,another influential postmodern thinker, proposed the notion of the simulacrum the replacement of reality with a mediated reality. He argues that we are no longer able to distinguish what is real and what is a representation and it is through culture and the media that this new reality is reproduced.

According to Hayward Post Modernism in general  is ill defined which is possibly its strength and it can be seen not as a theory but as a historical period (late 60-90’s) where assumptions around traditional conventions are questioned therefore reflecting a sense of ‘anything goes’. It calls into question the notion of progress, science, high and low culture and of western intellectual supremacy and because it questions modernism it also questions traditional accepted systems of knowledge and therefore opens up debates around, gender, race and cultural identity.

While there isn’t a definitive agreement on what constitutes postmodernism we can for the purposes of this unit identify some  central elements

1. Reflexivity : where a media or film text draws attention to itself as a constructed  media text , for instance through breaking the fourth wall

2. Eclecticism; A wide range of influences, contributions and techniques,including both high and low culture.

3. Intertextuality; An author’s reference to ,borrowing and transformation of another media
   text

4. Pastiche/ Parody; A humorous or satirical imitation of a media text . It can be an extended to a scene,episode or a whole film where not only the setting abd genre but key elements of film form and production is meant to be a pastiche or parody

5. Bricolage; A technique where works are constructed from various materials available :Meaning in media and film works come from how these elements are combined and mixed rather than any new element.

6. Hyperreality : As described by Baudrillard, the idea that we are all living in a "virtual" mediated world with little or no direct "real" experiences.  It can also refer to  the artificial constructed world of images we see in films which are not the same as the real world. Some postmodernist films also have narratives which refer to hyperrealities ( e.g The Matrix ) within the artificial world of  the film. 

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7. Acts against modernism; Postmodernism embodies scepticism towards the ideas and ideals of the modern era, especially the ideas of progress, objectivity, reason, certainty, personal identity and grand narrative. 

 Examples in your films of subversions ambiguity and  experimentation in narrative structure/ resolution, genre convention, audience expectation, the elements of film form and other experimental techniques can be described as acts against modernism in film.


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 These elements may be shown in films by some of the following techniques :


The disruption/subversion of linear or clear narrative structure and resolution, subjective use of sound, unrealistic or artificial dialogue, extended pastiche , a wide range of high/low  explicit cultural influences,  breaking of the fourth wall,  inconsistent or artificial  mise-en-scene, ambiguous or unclear character motivation, missing elements and ellipses in narrative,  and anything else that causes  the disruption of the rules of cause and effect or the world of the film  that most audiences depend on to create meaning. 

Films described as postmodernist may also be ironic, dark  or cynical in tone and deal with issues such as the breakdown or subversion of objective reality , the questioning of religion and morality and the nature of creativity and subjective experience. 


 

Postmodernism and Film/TV

‘Ultimately post modernism is a vague term. However in its eclecticism lies its power to be none or anti-essentialist. It neither has nor provides a fixed meaning, in its pluralism lies its ability to be read either positively or negatively’ 
Susan Haywood, 

Cinema Studies the key concepts, 2013


Generally postmodernist can be not as extreme in their experimental use of film form or narrative as other types of experimental film  and generally date from 1990s onwards as that was when the term became widely used and applied.

They may be of standard length  and may be released and consumed within the mainstream of  rather than linked to visual art movements or philosophical movements. They may bend the rules of narrative and film form conventions within a fairly traditional structure or feature more consistent use of cause and effect or mise-en-scene while using one or more of the postmodernist techniques listed above


EXAMPLES

Adaptation

Dogville

Donnie Darko

Memento

Grand Budapest Hotel

Far From Heaven

The Truman Show

Mulholland Drive / Lost Highway  ( David Lynch )

The Simpsons

Family Guy

John Hill identifies three main claims in relation to film and post modernism. The first is the structure of the film industry. That since end of the studio system Hollywood no longer has the same industrial structure and has produced more flexible forms of independent production. Conglomerates such as Sony and Disney have multiple and diverse interests often in non-film related areas that have resulted in a blurring of the boundaries between forms.

Secondly modern films often reflect postmodern themes. Science fiction films that display dystopian futures such as Blade Runner or The day after tomorrow may reflect a loss of faith in science and notions of progress. Film such as Fight Club and American Beauty present recurring postmodern representations of men and may reflect a loss of confidence in the ‘grand narrative’ of masculinity and patriarchy.

Finally the claim that there is a Postmodernism aesthetic according to Hill this is the hardest to define mainly due to the large and diverse set of texts where the label postmodernism has been applied.      

Criticisms of postmodernism

Fredric Jameson argues that postmodernism’s tendency toward Inter-textually and pastiche means it cannot create new material or recreate past work and it simply creates a simulation of other works based on existing styles and representations. 


He points to the distinction between parody and pastiche. Parody requires an understanding of the text and attempts to mock and criticise. Pastiche is a simple act of imitation that doesn’t possess parodies motives and within postmodernism he argues pastiche is dominant.

In his essay The death of postmodernism and beyond, Alan Kirby claims that quite a large number of theories and media texts (mainly from the 1980’s and 90’s) that are regarded as postmodern can no longer be regarded as contemporary or relevant. Massive technological and as a result cultural changes have occurred and an entire generation of people born since end of the 80’s have grown up within this culture. He claims that while multi-generic, self-conscious (parodies, bricolage) works continue to be produced no one really applies the concepts of postmodernism any more as it is no longer relevant and what has changed is not the text but the audience.

He argues that postmodernism assumed a passive audience model, the concept of the simulacrum; the replacement of reality with a mediated reality can only work if the audience is powerless to resist this process. The relationship between text and audience has changed, the audience no longer just receive the text; they are for example in the case of fan fiction or viral marketing active in its construction. He concludes that a diverse body of filmic or literary texts will always exist as their interpretation belongs principally to the audience.   

Research Task. Which films have been labelled postmodern? Choose three. Why was this label attached to them? Applying your knowledge of Postmodernism do you feel this is a correct interpretation?