Postmodernism is kidding itself. Postmodernism did not succeed Modernism. It offered no meaningful break from Modernism. On the contrary, Postmodernism was the full and mature flowering of the Modernist trend. Its final logical step. Its reductio ad absurdum, if you will. Modernism begat the ascendancy of Art Criticism and Art Theory over Art (or was begotten by it). Postmodernism unfolded the final stage of this transformation: Criticism supersedes Art. Art is Criticism. For Postmodernism, the purpose of Art is to take Art apart, to comment on it, to reframe its assumptions and question its values. Surgeon, dissect thyself.
Of course, Postmodernism has gone far beyond Art now - metastasizing into any number of academic fields, most notably linguistics.
Linguistics doesn't get a capital "L" in my book. Not unless it starts the sentence.
Of course, Postmodernism has gone far beyond Art now - metastasizing into any number of academic fields, most notably linguistics.
Linguistics doesn't get a capital "L" in my book. Not unless it starts the sentence.
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