Pomo definition
I'd like to enter a plea of non placet for my definition of postmodern: when a phenomenon's meta completely consumes it. Art imitating itself; the postmodern simulacrum. Is semiotics language or is language semiotics? Art totally penetrating reality.
These are all the same thing, and are my working definition of the postmodern. But by sheer etymology, why should this be right? Rather, I'd call these phenomena hyperreality. This word works perfectly well, because it's not technical, like meta-reality, nor loaded like postmodern.
I can't exactly make out the road ahead, but I think the postmodern will be the human reaction to hyperreality, accompanied by Hegelian discourse on what constitutes reality, just to be safe.
Now I seriously can't foresee the philosophy of postmodernism. But I know it must be a collection of perspectives which may or may not entail a moral dictum, a change in the style of speech, or a newfound rejection of modernist art.
These are all the same thing, and are my working definition of the postmodern. But by sheer etymology, why should this be right? Rather, I'd call these phenomena hyperreality. This word works perfectly well, because it's not technical, like meta-reality, nor loaded like postmodern.
I can't exactly make out the road ahead, but I think the postmodern will be the human reaction to hyperreality, accompanied by Hegelian discourse on what constitutes reality, just to be safe.
Now I seriously can't foresee the philosophy of postmodernism. But I know it must be a collection of perspectives which may or may not entail a moral dictum, a change in the style of speech, or a newfound rejection of modernist art.
posted by Owen Martin | 11:55 AM
1 Comments:
I don't think that a phenomenon's meta will ever "totally consume it", at least not in most cases.
What we observe as "postmodernism" is simply an asymptotic limit to the balance of originality, meta, and influence in every form of art. Whereas previously art could be composed of a fair dose of originality, an optional meta component, and more or less evident influences, the sheer amount of art available in a postmodern world will inevitably decrease the importance of the original (since virtually nothing is.) Since art that is purely a collation of influences is not art, the meta is required to fill up the remaining space.
If the meta were to take up all the space, we would be left with artistic analysis or interpretation, which still isn't art. Thus, postmodernism is the arrival of an expressive phenomenon ("art") at the point where it contains only the amount of originality which is possible in a globally connected culture of artistic expression, and only the amount of influence which is permitted without appearing totally banal, leaving meta-art or "hyper-art" as the only veritable criterion of successful expression.
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