Critical Studies

Module 1

Post Modernism

“Answering the Question: What is Post Modernism” – Jean Francois

Lyotard

Jean-Francois Lyotard was a French sociologist, philosopher and a

literary theorist. He remains one of the most prominent philosophers of
the twentieth century. This scholar was interested in defining the current
society in the context of modernity. This scholar noted that the world has
changed a greatly, and there are factors that did not exist before which
exist in the modern society. This scholar focused his study on post
modernity.

The world today, according to this scholar, has advanced in various fronts.
He looks at the factors that are brought about by post modernity.
Modernity has brought about a number of changes in society. In fact,
social problems in society today are attributed to modernity. A modern
society is full of technological changes implying that humanity relies on
technology heavily. In this regard, all aspects of life rely on technology.

This scholar defines postmodernism in respect to modernity. When the

world adopted the aspects of modernity, a number of factors came into
existence. Of interest was the fact that the society came to accept the
importance of painting. Painting was considered an extremely valuable
art that was used to pass given information. Such prestigious places as
the church heavily depended on paintings to communicate to its
audience.

This scholar notes that leaders of the church could explain their ideas
through the word of mouth. However, other details could only be
explained through painting. For instance, people were convinced that God
was a significant being that was seen by a few exceptional individuals in
the past.

Moreover, it is recorded that he came in different forms and, therefore, it

was impossible to come up with his image. However, it was recorded in
the bible that Jesus lived amongst us. People would want to see an image
of Jesus and other saints. It was only through paintings that such an
image could be reproduced.

Postmodernism seems to change this pierce of art. The world is no longer

a place where people cherish painting. Photography seems to have
thoroughly overtaken painting as a form of imaging. People currently rely
on photos to present their images. It is not only easy and less time
consuming, but also more accurate than the baroques that existed in the
old era.

Another factor that has characterized postmodernism, according to

Lyotard is literature. Modernity saw a rise in literature. Literature was
becoming particularly relevant in society in different fronts. Children
needed literature as a form of entertainment. Listening to a piece of
literature to them was a very good experience.

They found it not only funny, but also scary at times. Parents, therefore,
realized that they could use literature as a way of guiding their children.
Literature could be used to discourage undesirable behavior in children.
In high schools, literature became even more powerful.

Teachers used literature to gauge whether children had the capacity to

comprehend a given volume of information. Literature was also used as
a way of taking children through a rite of passage. During modernity,
parents did not have the opportunity to teach their children some values
that were expected of them when they became adults. This task was
pushed to teachers. To achieve this objective, literature became
exceedingly crucial.

Lyotard says that postmodernism did not come to change the above facts.
He states that postmodernism did not come to end artistry. Painting was
not to vanish because of photography. It was supposed to advance
painting. Movies and the film industry in general were not supposed to
end literature. It was supposed to be the period when literature would be
advanced. It was a time when literature would flourish because
technology would make it easy to write.
According to Lyotard, postmodernism is part of the modern society. He
says that postmodernism is not the end of modernism. It is not a new era
whereby modernity can be brought to an end. However, this scholar says
that postmodernism is part of modernism. He defines it as a stage of
modernism. It is advanced modernism characterized by a host of new
approaches of doing things. According to this scholar, postmodernism is
a new approach of addressing issues that are already in existence.

In the current society, it is extremely rare to see children listening to tales

from their parents or reading books. This is because of two main factors.
The first factor is that the current society has both parents earning a
living for the family and, therefore, they have limited time with their
children. The time for telling tales is not available to these parents. The
emergence of television and such programs as cartoons have attracted
attention of children so much. Reading books is boring to them and
hectic.

Despite this apparent change, nothing has changed. The cartoons and the
movies still have the narrative that existed in literature only that their
presentation has enhanced. Photography remains as advanced painting.
It is, therefore, true according to Lyotard that nothing has changed
amidst the perceived massive changes in the environment.

“Answering the Question: What Is Postmodernism?”

Thesis

Postmodern sublime/unpresentable of the postmodern art

The phrase is related to Nietzssche’s nihilism—a kind of perspectivism.

It is also akin to Kant’s aesthetics of the sublime.

“The sublime evokes a contradictory feeling” (The Idea of the

Postmodern: A History 133). It is “. . . a strong and equivocal emotion: it
carries both pleasure and pain . . . in it pleasure derives from pain.” (p43)
For Kant, sublime occurs “when the imagination fails to present an object
which might, if only in principle, come to match a concept.” This is the
relation between Kantian aesthetics of sublime and unpresentable. (p43)

Lyotard’s postmodern sublime is “an art of negation, a perpetual

negation . . . based on a never-ending critique of representation that
should contribute to the preservation of heterogeneity, of optimal
dissensus . . . [it]does not lead towards a resolution; the confrontation
with the unpresentable leads to radical openness” (The Idea of the
Postmodern: A History 133).

II. Some key concepts of Lyotard’s postmodern

Lyotard is opposed to totality.

Lyotard uses the term “initial forgetting” to support his conception of

the rupture of modern and postmodern. (From Lyotard, Jean-Francois.
“Note on the Meaning of ‘Post-‘.” 1985.)

III. Outline

A Demand = Lyotard aims to question Habermas’ conception of unity.

Realism

Because of the call for “unity” and “identity,” it is believed that “. . .

nothing is more urgent than to liquidate the heritage of the avan-gardes”
(p40).

The definition of realism: = “Realism, whose only definition is that it

intends to avoid the question of reality implicated in that of art, always
stands somewhere between academicism and kitsch” (p41).

Postmodern sublime

Because of modernity, we discover the “’lack of reality’ of reality,

together with the invention of other realities.” (p43)

The phrase is related to Nietzssche’s nihilism—a kind of perspectivism.

It is also akin to Kant’s aesthetics of the sublime.

In order to present the unpresentable, Kant shows “formlessness, the
absence of form, as a possible index to the unpresentable” (p44).

As to the modern art, it makes effort “to present the fact that the
unpresentable exists” with “its little technical expertise” (p43).

The Postmodern

Lyotard’s definition of the postmodern.

Lyotard believes that postmodern is “a part of the modern,” and there is

a circular relation between modern & postmodern. (p44) “A work can
become modern only if it is first postmodern. Postmodernism . . . is not
modernism at its end but in the nascent state, and this state is constant”
(p44).

The difference between modern aesthetics & postmodern aesthetics in the

aspect of unpresentable.

“modern aesthetics is an aesthetic of the sublime, though a nostalgic

one. It allows the unpresentable to be put forward only as the missing
contents; but the form, because of its recognizable consistency, continues
of offer to the reader or viewer matter for solace and pleasure” (p46).

“The postmodern would be that which, in the modern, puts forward the
unpresentable in presentation itself; that which denies itself the solace
of good forms, the consensus of a taste which would make it possible to
share collectively the nostalgia for the unattainable; that which searches
for new presentations . . . in order to impart a stronger sense of the
unpresentable” (p46).

Ex. The works of Proust (modern) and Joyce (postmodern) both allude
something unpresentable.

Proust—“. . . what is being eluded as the price to pay for this allusion is
the identity of consciousness, a victim to the excess of time . . . .” (p45).

Joyce—“. . . the identity of writing . . . is the victim of an excess of the

book or of literature” (p45).

IV. Questions:
When discussing the postmodern art, why does Lyotard adopt the
conceptions of Kant and Nietzssche?

Is there really a rupture between the modern and the postmodern?

Vrindha Venugopal D

II MA ENGLISH