Notes about Postmodernism 2

The visit about Postmodernism art in Trieste on the 25 November 2011 is connected to the program. It is contemporary art and Postmodernism cultural movement goes on also in our period. Postmodernism art is essentially conceptual and abstract. Why is it defined in this way? Because traditional art implies figures and an interpretation given by the creator.
Just said previously, Postmodernism puts in discuss the concepì of authority. Postmodernism doubts about everything. It began when people started to investigate what makes someone's authority. So, the vision they share is that authority is given by the recognizing by people of someone.
Postmodernism has developed since the second part of the 20th century and it develops from the cultural movement of Modernism, which characterized the first three decades of the 20th century.
One of the most important features of Postmodernism is that there is no distinction between high art and low one. They come together in what Postmodernism calls artistic production. Postmodernism privileges the position of the reader because the reader makes sense to what he reads (literature), listens (music) and sees (art). This also implies putting into doubt the concept of the truth of definited thought considerated the right one. The postulate, the dogma is there is no truth. All contemporary scientific studies are based on this: in order to study science, which shows that there is only indeterminacy, is necessarily to put questions to himself. Criticizing a stable truth emerges that the only truth is transformation (every experience undergoes under a new form). This implies that there is no stable meaning, so the words (or painting, or songs...) always have different means according to what, where and when the reader is.
Human being is privated of all his certainties, of what is truth, right, wrong: this was what man based on in the past (in Medieval Age the truth was God; in the Renaissance it was man's centrality; during the 18th century it was the progress and the self-made man; during the end of the 19th century people realized that progress and wealth did not free man and not improved him).
A book reading depends on the reader because he is influenced by what he likes, personal experiences and he is the only one who can give a mean to the work with his personal enciclopedia, that is the whole of man experiences. It is for this reason that signified is not stable.
Postmodernism art asks a lot to the person: it does not give anything and it is requested to person to make an efforce to give a meaning to what it is seen. It is for this reason people generally do not like contemporary art.

Analysis of Nice Work Extract

This is an extract taken from a Postmodernist novel (Nice Work) by David Lodge (he is one of the most importantexperts of Postmodernism and he became a freelance, that is he writes freely and that he does not depend on anyone). It was published in 1982. The novel develops around two main characters: Robyn, the woman, and Vic, the man. Vic is the shortname for Victory (all literary names are important). Vic is a manager in a big company.
All the exctract is about the characterization of the female character.
The narrator and the reader will come back. The writer puts Robyn in contrast with Vic. The characterization of the female character is in contrast/ in opposition with the male character. Female character is also built by the way she thinks (she does not believe in the concept of character). The writer invents Robyn and she does not believe in the concept of the character. Her name reminds to Robin Hood, who is a famous idealistic character in English tradition. He fought with the riches to give the poors. Also Robyn's surname gives information about her: Penrose derives from "pen" and "rose" (to identify her because she has got a male name).
She does not believe in the concept of character because it is a product of the capitalistic vision of the world. It is only an illusion. The characher was born with the novel in the 17th century, contemporary with capitalism birth. The first novel was Defoe's Robinson Crusoe: the capitalism ideology of a man who makes himself is exaltated in this novel. With the growth of capitalism, there was also an increase of novels sale (18th century). With Modernism has begun capitalism crysis and also literature changed: writers analyzed the interior world, conscience crysis with the stream of consciousness and they created an anti-hero.