Postmodernism is a motion that appeared as a reaction to modernism. It affects many Fieldss and is really difficult to specify, and it will stay a obscure term throughout my essay. So, since I can non specify postmodernism in my research, I will merely be depicting it ; depicting postmodernism through the many Fieldss which it influences, exactly, I will be depicting postmodernism through doctrine, critical thought, architecture and literature, in which I will speak about a postmodern drama ; Waiting for Godot.
Postmodernism is the motion that can depict the present societal, cultural, philosophical and economical province. It has influenced critical thought, doctrine, architecture, art, literature and civilization. There is no clear definition of postmodernism, and specifying postmodernism goes against its very kernel, that there is no absolute truth or certainty in life. Postmodernism, unlike modernism, does non stress on a clear and ultimate aim for worlds, nor does it concentrate on a clear significance for life. It is extremely disbelieving of any valid and nonsubjective world ; world is subjective and each individual can see it otherwise. Postmodernism criticizes past doctrines, values and bases and is disbelieving about them. A postmodern society ever thinks in deepness, they believe that under beauty lies wretchedness, and they reject shallow mindedness. Modernism emphasized on rules such as individuality, integrity and certainty, where postmodernism emphasized on difference, uncertainness and incredulity. Modernism had failed in its quest to happen significance in a helter-skelter life of wars, economical depressions and such, hence stoping modernism. Postmodernism inquiries if any significance in life or any ultimate end for worlds exists.
Postmodernism can be traced towards early novels such as the Arabian Nights, Candide, Decameron, among many others. The motion started as a reaction to modernism since the Second World War, and reached its extremum in the 1960s during the decolonisation and societal revolutions of many states. It has gone through two stages, one after the cold war and the other is with the detonation of overseas telegram telecasting.
Critics of postmodernism can be put into four classs ; the first 1 is the boosters of postmodernism, and goes against modernism. The 2nd 1 is the 1s who believe that postmodernism lacks important features that are necessary. The 3rd one is the critics within postmodernism, but wants to alter some of its features. And the concluding 1 are the 1s who believe that postmodernism is non a lasting stage but merely a passing stage. One critic, Dick Hebdige, described postmodernism as a cant or a “ manner ” word. He wrote:
“ When it becomes possible for a people to depict as ‘postmodern ‘ the decor of a room, the design of a edifice, the diegesis of a movie, the building of a record, or a ‘scratch ‘ picture, a telecasting commercial, or an arts docudrama, or the ‘intertextual ‘ dealingss between them, the layout of a page in a manner magazine or critical diary, an anti-teleological inclination within epistemology, the onslaught on the ‘metaphysics of presence ‘ , a general fading of feeling, the corporate humiliation and morbid projections of a post-War coevals of babe boomers facing disillusioned middle-age, the ‘predicament ‘ of reflexiveness, a group of rhetorical figure of speechs, a proliferation of surfaces, a new stage in trade good fetichism, a captivation for images, codifications and manners, a procedure of cultural, political or experiential atomization and/or crisis, the ‘de-centring ‘ of the topic, an ‘incredulity towards ‘metanarratives ‘ , the replacing of unitary power axes by a plurality of power/discourse formations, the ‘implosion of intending ‘ , the prostration of cultural hierarchies, the apprehension engendered by the menace of atomic suicide, the diminution of the university – when it becomes possible to depict all these things as ‘Postmodern ‘ ( or more merely utilizing a current abbreviation as ‘post ‘ or ‘very station ‘ ) so it ‘s clear we are in the presence of a cant ”
What this citation implies is that the term Postmodern can be applied to things that are fiddling and can besides be applied to extremely of import issues. The term can be used to depict a telecasting commercial or the decor of a room, and besides can depict important affairs, such as “ the apprehension engendered by the menace of atomic suicide ” or the “ prostration of cultural hierarchies ” .
One of the Fieldss that postmodernism extremely influenced is the field of architecture. Modernism believed in “ pure ” or perfect manners while postmodernist designers used any stuffs in their range. For illustration, modernistic architecture hid concrete, believing that it is an unpleasant sight, so they painted on top of it or covered it in bricks. Postmodernist architecture clearly showed every stuff, manner, colour and method that was used by the designer. Modernism uses really elegant forms in architecture, but postmodernism does non care about the “ harmoniousness ” in these forms. Postmodernist architecture favours assortment and personal penchant over one “ true ” manner of planing or building.
Waiting for Godot is an illustration of a literary work that can be interpreted as a postmodern text. The drama involves two chief characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who meet at a tree waiting for “ Godot ” . They spend much clip waiting for him but he does non look. A secondary character, Pozzo, tells them that he is a courier from Godot, and that he will non be able to come today but will certainly come tomorrow. So they wait and Godot still does non come the following twenty-four hours, while the courier insists that he ne’er met the two work forces. The drama ends when Vladimir and Estragon are still waiting for Godot at the tree.
Godot can be interpreted as a powerful or cryptic force or being that could supply significance or accomplish ends in life. Vladimir and Estragon wait thirstily for him, and they ne’er leave the tree. It is intending that they are waiting for, and significance is their redemption, but intending ne’er appears. Even when they are promised that the “ significance ” does be, and are besides promised that if they further delay, they will happen “ significance ” , but Godot does non come. Godot is besides referred to as God.
Modernism does believe in a significance or a intent for life, but they wait for that intent without help. They failed to happen that intending during the universe wars, where pandemonium raged over the universe. Vladimir and Estragon ‘s useless waiting for Godot can be a symbol for modernism ‘s quest for significance. Postmodernism on the other manus uncertainties if that significance ( Godot ) exists in the first topographic point, demoing postmodernism ‘s incredulity, incredulity and misgiving.
Worlds have ever believed that there is intending behind life, and that there is a intent or end for populating it. In my sentiment, we ever exaggerate on this, and we try to make intending even in the thick of pandemonium. We besides sometimes coerce these aims onto people and set regulations for everyone to follow, in a manner such that people can experience trapped. This is what happens in modernism. Postmodernism, nevertheless, criticizes the possibility of significance in life, and does non stay by the regulations blindly ; it inquiries these regulations and remains disbelieving about them, hence people can interrupt away from these regulations, and they are no longer constricted and suppressed. In my sentiment, this is the most of import characteristic in postmodernism, and I wholly agree with it.
