Introducing Postmodernism [Paperback]

Richard Appignanesi (Author), Chris Garratt (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Introducing | Publication Date: July 11, 1991

What on earth is postmodernism? This is a guide to the maddeningly enigmatic concept which is supposed to define the human cultural condition at the end of the 20th century. Postmodernism claims that "modernity" has collapsed, that the historical process which began with the enlightenment, industrialism, Darwin, Marx, Freud and so on has exhausted itself and there is no more "future", just an endlessly "contemporary" world full of endlessly contested meanings. This uncertainty has led to a postmodern culture which embodies parody, pastiche and cultural cross-over and claims as its own such diverse phenomena as Andy Warhol, neo-classical architecture and Mickey Mouse! This book takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride through structuralism, deconstruction, cyberspace and semiotics in the company of the essential postmodern icons from Adorno and Lacan to Foucault and Umberto Eco.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Appignanesi is a novelist, editor and publisher, and a Research Fellow at King's College London. He is the originating editor of the Introducing series and has also written Freud and Existentialism books in the series. Chris Garratt is an illustrator and cartoonist whose "Biff" comic series ran for twenty years in the Guardian. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From AudioFile

Uniquely British, this guide takes listeners on a quirky ride from the origins of postmodernism to its present state of influence. Two young British socialites are alternately excited and scandalized by the production's sound-effects-and-music-laden tour of postmodern art, which includes discussion of the artists' motivations and eccentricities, as well as their ground-breaking work. Narrator and cast careen through the philosophy and practice of postmodernism, negotiating humorous twists and audio jokes with flair and clarity. While the young Brits sometimes claim that they'd prefer a nice cup of cocoa to looking at Marcel Duchamp's startling creations, this audiobook manages to entertain and instruct in a distinctly theatric postmodern style. D.J.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Totem Books (July 11, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1874166218
• ISBN-13: 978-1874166214
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,818,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Everything is better with an Andy Warhol cartoon, August 1, 2001

By 

"savedacowz" (Denton, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introducing Postmodernism (Paperback)

I love the Introducing series. They are excellent study guides for topics that may be unfamiliar. They are generally not to detailed but provide a good jumping off point for further research.

Introducing Postmodernism was a bit vague, but i guess so is postmodernism itself. To completely understand the book, you first must have an idea what postmodernism is, and if you have such an idea, you don't really need a postmodern study guide.

It gives alot of examples of postmodernity in society without actually stating what postmoderninsm is, but who CAN acctually state what postmodernism is?

It discusses everyone from Stephen Hawking to Madonna, everything from "Cyberia" and genetic cloning to Disneyland and karaoke.

It might give you some ideas if you have to write a paper, than again it just might frustrate you and cause you to spin off into cyberspace.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Post Modernism Explained For the Rest of Us..., April 30, 2000

By 

Gail Willis "music maven" (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introducing Postmodernism (Paperback)

I really enjoyed the unique approach that this book took towards explaining post modernism in a straight forward non-academic manner. The book reads like Mad Magazine does Post Modernism. It is illustrated throughout and you know what...It's zany, fun, and delightful.. You would have to be a real sourpuss or maybe on of those three or four people who don't like Mad magazine, the Marx Brothers, or the Three Stooges not to enjoy it.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 5 Into 2 Won't Go, July 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Introducing Postmodernism (Paperback)

Many readers are put off by the very idea of serious works being reduced to a comic book format. I'm not. My experience with the Classic Comic Books of old was a good one and helped stimulate me into a more conventional direction later on. It should be admitted, however, that some serious topics are more suited to that format than others. In this case, the authors' section on postmodern art is well suited as it traces the evolution of visual styles over the preceding decades. There is much to learn here. But this asset, I'm afraid, is simply outweighed by the other two sections. These deal with topics that likely defy the most skillful of conversion attempts. Put briefly, rendering the postmodern theory of these two sections into skimpy simplifying text along with none-to-helpful graphics is almost like rendering quantum theory into a serious discussion between Ren & Stimpy. The material is simply too refractory. The authors' effort represents an honorable failure; and a task made no easier by the fact that the rhetoric of many of PoMo's leading exponents has itself been exposed as empty and inflated. (Sokal & Bricmont's, *Fashionable Nonsense*) Still, whatever its ultimate worth, I think PoMo is worth pursuing since it does capture the Zeitgeist of two key contemporary trends: consumerism and globalization. More text, however, is required by any effective introduction. So, at your own risk.