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Teach Yourself Postmodernism

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Whipping-boy of preachers, or the coolest of cool labels, "postmodern" keeps popping into my life unbidden. Frustrated over my own ignorance of the term, and unable to pin down a common definition, this book was a simple solution.

Understanding modernism as the Enlightenment ideals of progress, optimism, rationality and the search for absolute truth and the true self, Ward sees postmodernism as the contemporary antithesis embracing exhaustion, pessimism, irrationality and disillusionment with absolutes. On the surface this comparison may appear to put postmodernism in a negative light, when it has much to commend it.

For example, in architecture (chapter two) the modern perspective was utilitarian. Form had to be functional. The result was inhuman sameness. Postmodern architecture emphasizes form, not function, and borrows/blends architectural themes from various places and times to create an eclectic hodgepodge more representative of human diversity and experience. This democratization of architecture is mimicked in literature and the arts (chapter three) where critics are dethroned as arbiters of taste and culture in favor of mass appeal and acceptance.

Chapter four titled "The Trouble With Reality" is simply marvelous, and sets the tone for the remainder of the book. Postmodernism changes the very essence of reality. Just as quantum physics explains that my desk if more "space" than matter, postmodern thought sees reality in form, not substance. The conviction that "image" must rest upon something "real" is contrary to postmodernism, since image is reality. Television is the primary medium; Jean Baudrillard a primary figure.

Chapter five builds on four with poststructural conceptions of language and meanings. Positing that language is self-referential and, accordingly, never reflective of essential reality, postmodernism replaces the author's intent with the readers' insight; meaning with interpretation; facts with relationships.

In chapters six and seven Ward explains the postmodern reworking of personal identity. Rather than the unveiling of innate essence, the postmodern self is fundamentally social. Constructed, not created, the postmodern self "becomes" through social interactivity. Postmodernism rejects a whole, unified or coherent psyche in preference for a "fleeting, unstable, incomplete and open-ended mess of desires which cannot be fulfilled."

In chapter eight Ward summarizes postmodernism as against depth and essence, totality and universality; but for the superficial and provisional, fragmentation and difference. He concludes with applications of postmodern thought in both science and politics.

Ward does an exceptional job of selecting representative postmodern voices, letting them speak for themselves, and then also giving voice to their critics. This style of writing is a little choppy, but is well worth the added insight it provides.

Now if I can just find a similar book on chaos theory and quantum physics!

If your reaction to a _Teach Yourself_ series book on critical theory is negative...then you are exactly the person who most needs to read this text. A theory of pop culture, mass culture, and the (non-existant) distinction between "high" (read: élitist) and "low" culture, postmodernism more than any other ism begs a volume of this sort. All the same, Ward's text is a not-so-superficial introduction to the philosophers whose ideas have lead to postmodern critical theory: starting with the structuralists (Saussure, Lévi-Strauss), pass through deconstructionists to poststructuralists...Ward treats Delleuze, Derrida, the Frankfurt School, Jencks, Foucault--and of course Madonna. This text is above no one, and don't resist buying just because it doesn't come in a thick hardcover tome with more italicized philosobabble. If you're interested in postmodernism, this is the place to start. Also suitable as an introductory undergraduate text. Terrific for party tricks as well.

This book is great as an introduction to such a complex subject as postmodernism. Its focus is really on the ideas behind postmodernism as they appear in different areas such as architecture, visual arts, film, and literature. By doing so, one is able to see the threads common to all of these disciplines , allowing a grasp on what postmodernism is all about. The (often obscure) work of the major thinkers is summarized in a way that can be more easily understood. A critique of these thinkers usually follows these summaries, which gives the reader a better perspective and balance. I highly recommend it.

I had always heard the term "postmodernism" and never really put much thought into it. However about four years ago, while I was working on my masters in social sciences the term was brought up again and again. After reading many philosophy type books, I thought the concept was grasped. Consequently, the notion of postmodernism was still nebulous, evasive and elusive. I can recall asking my advisor in my graduate program what defines a postmodern theorist. He simplistically stated that a postmodern theorist will claim he/she isn't a postmodern theorist. Also postmodern theorists tend to not agree with one and other.

Ultimately I felt quasi-comfortable about my knowledge in postmodernism, yet I had a thirst for more. This led me to look for a book on the topic and to "Teach Yourself Postmodernism". I have to say that I am very pleased with the content within the pages of this paperback by Glenn Ward. This book spoke of postmodernism in terms of architecture, art, music, film, history, politics, fashion, languages/words/text and psychology (to list a few). Another thing that I liked about this book is it provided many lucid and tangible examples when discussing concepts. For instance, the movie Blade Runner was used as paradigm of postmodernism.

Modernism was also tackled in this book, mainly because there can't be postmodern without modern. The book also is reader friendly. However, there were some aspects/points that were totally over my head. I reread many components several times and grasped it and other things were just way too abstract for me to clench.

Other cool parts of this book:

* Ideas are broken down by chapters
* Theorists from both modern & postmodern are reviewed
* Books on similar subject matter within a chapter are provided
* There is a chronological list dates of postmodern history
* A glossary of key terms used throughout the book
* As noted prior, many lucid examples of postmodernism

Overall, I felt like this was a great book to learn about not only postmodernism, but society and really the world people live in. The book is only about 232 pages, but Glenn Ward packed a great deal of information in this book. I would be really interested in reading another book by him, just based off this one. After finishing this book, I feel like I have a more solid understanding of the complex perception that is postmodernism.

This book represents a vast sweep of postmodern culture and thought. Its eight chapters cover eight major areas of postmodernism. Each chapter focuses on the historical development of a major area of thought or culture (typically its roots in modernism), the critical hinges that turned things, the major influences and persons involved, the misconceptions one should be aware of, and finally, critiques of the postmodern attitude and suggestions for further reading. With such a combination, this book aims to make one "savvy".

After dealing at first with postmodern architecture, literature, and visual art (some of the surfaces of postmodern culture), the author gets stuck into philosophical issues such as the deconstruction of meaning and the postmodern self. This is where he would seem to come into his own. He shows great power of thought in relating a vast field of influences to each other. This kind of writing is rare, and makes this, in my view, a very valuable book. An example is his treatment of structuralism -- beginning with Saussure, tracing its subsequent influences, and describing various twists as it transforms into post-structuralism and various streams.

I had two reservations about the book, yet these should by no means detract from its value. Firstly, there is virtually no treatment of the considerable influence of postmodernism on religion, particularly Christianity. Secondly, the author may sometimes assume a basic knowledge on the part of the reader. As an example, he introduces structuralism as "an approach or method". The complete beginner might ask: a method for what? While the answers do emerge, a few explanatory sentences might have fast-forwarded the reader's comprehension.

Finally, where did they find such velvety paper? The book has an unusual feel.

This is an excellently written book, liberating and highly informative. The snobs will be put off by the Teach Yourself title, but don't be fooled: the author thoroughly knows his stuff. Unlike so many acolytes of postmodernism his approach is not uncritical, yet he has managed to separate the wheat from the chaff, unfailingly identifying the main points of value of the various postmodernist thinkers in clear, compact and easy to understand language. This is particularly important, as the original texts of some of the postmodernists can be rather long-winded and obscure.

Where necessary the author adds points of criticism immediately following the basic discussion, which helps to improve one's understanding. Clear, concrete examples from everyday life illustrate each point, so as to put the issue in perspective.

Before reading this book I was somewhat sceptical toward postmodernism, having been exposed to so much quasi-intellectual drivel and posturing. Postmodernism seemed to be a fashionably destructive form of nihilism and relativism cloaked in obscure and pretentious terminology. This book makes it clear that though some aspects of postmodernism may be doubtful, much of it is of value, particularly with regard to globalisation.

My only regret is that no mention is being made of the "Sokal Hoax" of 1996 when the physicist Alan Sokal managed to get his deliberately nonsensical article "Transgressing the boundaries: towards a transformative hermeneutics of quantum gravity" published in the postmodernist journal Social Text - much to the embarrassment of many postmodernist academics. The Sokal Hoax was followed by a number of books sharply criticising some postmodernists' views on science. Indeed PM's relationship with science, and the PM tendency to inspire quasi-intellectual articles may be its weakest links. Though Glenn Ward's book includes a list of recommended websites, it unfortunately does not contain Andrew Bulhak's highly entertaining The Postmodernism Generator. This website continuously generates completely meaningless postmodernist articles, but the forgeries are so brilliant that you could be fooled if you did not know better.

Criticism of PM should of course not blind one to its merits. If you have heard much about postmodernism, but could never figure out what it's all about and if you don't want to spend too much time in finding out, this wonderful, concise introduction is for you.

This is a good read if you're new to what postmodernism is all about. It's fairly clear as far as explaining things and it gives you direction on who and what to read should you desire to delve deeper into postmodernism.

This book covers postmodernism in art, politics, history, literature, and culture. Although the book touches all of these subjects, its main concentration appears to be postmodernism in culture and of postmodernism in the context of the self. The book is well written and is quite interesting at times. The writer draws from a large pool of thinkers whose perspectives differ but contribute to the ideas of postmodernism. Overall the book is a fantastic starter to postmodernism not only because of the clarity in which it is written but also due to the amount of postmodern writers the reader is introduced to and is persuaded to read.

I have been looking for a text to introduce students who likely have had no advanced critical theory to the gnarly world of postmodernism. This is the one.

It is clear and concise. It is very well organized. And nothing about it cheats the subject by skimming over difficult concepts.

Being heavily interested in art, I fell in love with the philosphy of postmodernism as it is an issue, and a period, in which we live. While philosphy is often incredibly dense, this book helps lure you in as it gives a simple, unbiased overview of different aspects, reasons, and affects of postmodernism. It draws on several different critics of postmodernism and branches out to discuss the cultural, architectural, artistic, political, and self-developmental issues. After reading this, I find it hard to objectively view everything in life as I somehow draw connections back to postmodernism. The book also gives suggestions for further reading if you're interested in a certain viewpoint and would like to explore it in greater depth. Unfortionately, there are some issues in the book that you wonder why people would actually waste their time studying as they are rather pretensious, but nonetheless, it is a nice, easy, broad introduction into an boundless area of study.