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Postmodernism
- 1. Postmodernism Postmodern Theory and the Media KEYWORDS; • Metanarratives • Bricolage • Parody • Pastiche • Intertextuality • Hyperreality • Simulation KEY THEORISTS; • Jean-Francois Lyotard • Jean Baudrillard • John Storey • Roland Barthes • Julian McDougall • Dick Hebdige
- 2. What is Postmodernism? Postmodernism is difficult to define and understand so stick with it, we’ll get there in the end!! Some of the key assertions of Postmodernism are; No idea, theory, text or part of culture are more important that another. Judgments of value are merely about taste not about quality or substance. Anything can be ‘art’ (this comes from the history of postmodernism, it started in the world of art) There is no longer a distinction between high culture and popular culture – they are both of value. There are no universal truths – metanarratives or ‘big stories’ such as Christianity or Marxism are not universal truths – they are truths to some Some of the key features of Postmodern texts are; Bricolage Parody Pastiche Intertextuality Merging of genre styles and conventions Style over substance Mixing of high and popular culture
- 3. Bricolage Another big part of Postmodernism is the belief that the “construction of cultural identities is an active process of bricolage, of tinkering with debris.” Bricolage = A construction made of whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things. Examples of bricolage: Pop songs sampling riffs and licks from the ‘classics’ or ‘serious’ music – Marvin Gaye vs Blurred Lines TV shows that are set in the recent past such as Mad Men or Life on Mars – these bring back nostalgia Use of icons of visual arts in advertising such as Mona Lisa
- 5. Parody A humorous and exaggerated imitation of the style or works of a writer, artist, director, genre etc. Often parodies are used to expose some part of the original text or works that the creator didn’t like, BUT not always. You can think of parody as a spoof of something. Examples of parody: Austin Powers – parody of traditional spy genre Scary Movie – parody of traditional horror genre
- 6. Pastiche An respectful imitation of the style or works of a writer, artist, director, genre etc. The key difference with parodies is that a pastiche in done in reverence and respect for the original. You can think of pastiche as an homage to something. Examples of pastiche: Most of Quentin Tarantino’s films are considered pastiche because they use the conventions and styles of other genre’s such as old kun-fu movies (Kill Bill) and old Western movies (Django Unchained). Simpsons – certain episodes of the Simpsons might also be considered pastiche- in the past they have ‘copied’ famous scenes from films such as Psycho, A Clockwork Orange and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- 8. Intertextuality Where a text refers to, references or alludes to another text or itself The key to intertextuality is that it should draw attention to the ‘constructedness’ of the text and reminding the audience that they are suspending their disbelief to watch a media text. Examples of intertextuality: Scream – particularly the first film and the scene where the characters are discussing the traditional conventions of horror genre. Simpsons – the episode with President Bush Sr. & Jr. Parody and pastiche can both be considered as making a text intertextual
- 9. Merging of styles or genres Where one text uses the typical conventions of a number of genres. This can make it difficult for the audience to pin down which genre the text is – this would make it postmodern. Examples of merging genre styles & conventions: Misfits – it includes elements/conventions of the following genres - comedy, drama, superhero, sci-fi.
- 10. Style over substance Another big belief of Postmodernism is that media texts don’t need to have some deep hidden meanings. They can simply be what they are – media texts that look good and entertain. When we learnt about Semiotics we learnt that along with the ‘sign’ there is always a ‘signifier’ and a ‘signified’ the obvious and hidden meanings that go with the ‘sign’. Postmodernists disagree with this – they believe that there is now a sign but no signifier nor signified. This links into the idea that there is no ‘original text’ anymore. Theorist Roland Barthes argued for the “death of the author” and the “birth of the reader” and as such there is no “original text” anymore. What Barthes meant was that all meanings are now in the hands of the reader, the audience creates the meaning not the author or creator of the text. This means that regardless of the deep meanings the creators want their text to carry, if the audience don’t read it that then it can be meaningless. Examples of style over substance: Most popular music videos – when you watch them there is no narrative and often they don’t make sense. They don’t have to, they just have to look good.
- 11. Mixing of high & popular culture Postmodernism is almost a response to the era in media when the division between high and popular culture was obvious. There were theorists who believed some texts had more validity than others because they were serious or part of ‘high’ culture. Postmodernists disagree with this – they believe these are value judgments and nothing actually to do with quality. As a response to this postmodernist texts can also be considered those that mix high and popular culture together. Jean Baudrillard argued for the “implosion of meaning in the media” he suggested that old strucutures of high and popular culture have been replaced with a mixture of the two he referred to it as the “bombsite” where the two meet but some would call it bricolage. Examples of mixing of high and popular culture: Some of the music videos such as those from Madonna where she uses icons and symbols of religion alongside imagery from popular culture, Bricolage can also be considered examples of the mixing of high and popular culture.
- 12. Hyperreality Baudrillard also came up with the postmodernist notion of hyperreality. He believed that we live in such a media saturated era, where we are bombarded with media, that much of our experiences are in the form of media texts rather than first-hand, direct experiences. He argued that as a result of this the media becomes “more real than the real” Since we now live through the media (this is particularly interesting when considering construction of identity through e-media) that the distinction between real and simulation breaks down and blurs. Baudrillard went on to argue that hyperreality is the condition where the distinction between real and simulation is not just blurred but the ‘image’ (the media) has started to gain the upper hand – when we believe media representations more than real – Fox News – B’ham no go zone.
- 13. Hyperreality John Storey: “In the realm of postmodernism, the distinction between real and simulation and the ‘real’ continually implodes; the real and the imaginary continually collapse into each other. The result is hyperrealism: the real and the simulated experience as without difference.” Julian McDougal: “Postmodernists claim that in a media saturated world, where we are constantly immersed in the Media, 24/7 – and on the move, at work, at home – the distinction between reality and the media representation of reality becomes blurred or even entirely invisible to us. In other words, we no longer have any sense of the difference between real things and images of them, or real experiences and simulations of them. Media reality is the new reality.”
- 14. Bricolage & Hyperreality Bricolage links to hyperreality Postmodernists argue that culture ‘eats itself’ because there is no longer anything new to produce or distribute so it uses whatever else is around it (bricolage). Since we no longer know what is real (reality is unreliable - hyperreality) we yearn for the past, when things seemed ‘real’ therefore nostalgia is popular. However even this nostalgia is a simulated version of the past – “When the real is no longer what it used to be, nostalgia assumes its full meaning. There is a proliferation of myths of origin and signs of reality: of second hand truth, objectivity and authenticity. These are an escalation of the true, of the lived experience.” Baudrillard.
- 15. Criticisms of Postmodernism One of the biggest criticisms of Postmodernism is that it is too vague. Since postmodernist do not believe in universal truths (metanarratives) there is an argument that it doesn’t actually stand for anything at all. Some argue that postmodernism is simply a buzzword used by theorists and academics with little analytical or empirical knowledge. Dick Hebdige: “When It becomes possible for a people to describe as ‘postmodern’, the décor of a room, the design of a building, the narrative of a film, the construction of a song, a television commercial, or an arts documentary, or the ‘intertextual’ relations between them, the layout of a page in a fashion magazine or critical journal…a fascination for images, codes and styles, a process of cultural, political or existential fragmentation and/or crisis, the de-centring’ of the subject an ‘incredulity towards metanarratives’,…the ‘implosion of meaning’, the collapse of cultural hierarchies – when it becomes possible to describe all these things as ‘Postmodern’ then it’s clear we are in the presence of a buzzword.”
- 16. Criticisms of Postmodernism Another criticism of Postmodernism is that it is a pessimistic view of society and our future. Baudrillard and Lyotards ideas about post modernism (hyperreality and the blurring of the lines between ‘truth’ and simulation) are both pessimistic arguments. Both men believed that this would lead to the breakdown of society in some way. They believed that the lack of notions of ‘truth’ and recycling old meanings in new combinations or for new meanings would impact on our sense of the past and our morality and society into the future. Some also argue that these ideas are cynical – what is the point in producing media or art or literature if there are no original ideas anymore?
- 17. Your Case Study Whether you are looking at Identities in the Media or Impact of New Digital Media you can use Postmodernism in your arguments. Write a paragraph explaining how/where you might use Postmodernism (either using a specific text to argue your point or you general argument).