The Cambridge Introduction to Postmodernism

by Brian McHale

The Cambridge Introduction to Postmodernism surveys the full spectrum of postmodern culture - high and low, avant-garde and popular, famous and obscure - across a range of fields, from architecture and visual art to fiction, poetry, and drama. It deftly maps postmodernism's successive historical phases, from its emergence in the 1960s to its waning in the first decades of the twenty-first century. Weaving together multiple strands of postmodernism - people and places from Andy Warhol, Jefferson Airplane and magical realism, to Jean-François Lyotard, Laurie Anderson and cyberpunk - this book creates a rich picture of a complex cultural phenomenon that continues to exert an influence over our present 'post-postmodern' situation. Comprehensive and accessible, this Introduction is indispensable for scholars, students, and general readers interested in late twentieth-century culture.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2015

About the author

Brian G. McHale is a US academic and literary theorist who writes on a range of fiction and poetics, mainly relating to postmodernism and narrative theory. He is currently Distinguished Humanities Professor of English at Ohio State University. His area of expertise is Twentieth-Century British and American Literature.

McHale is the editor of the journal Poetics Today: International Journal for Theory and Analysis of Literature and Communication. He has taught at Tel Aviv University and West Virginia University; he was visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Freiburg (Germany), and the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). McHale was an honorary professor, from 2009 to 2011, at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. He is co-founder, with James Phelan and David Herman, of Project Narrative, an initiative based at Ohio State University. He is the past President (2011) of The Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present, and President of The International Society for the Study of Narrative.

Reviews

[Miquella · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is rare that I read of culture, I regard this as my first true entry. The Author Brian McHale have created an easy read. He posits his views and argues for them and even mentions the counter arguments and those who do not share his views. McHale speaks mostly of art and literature, and since I have no firm grasp of their history I have learnt a whole lot. As usual I will speak of what I have found interesting.

The most striking strain of Postmodernism is its focus on ontological questions. McHale argues that what defined Modernism(that which came before) was its focus on epistemology, it asked question of knowledge. Postmodernism took it further to what I believe to be its logical conclusion, that of ontology. In 1966, which McHale argues for the beginning of Postmodernism, works discussing the nature of reality began to crop up.

In the beginning of the 1960’s psychedelic drugs became prominent, most noteworthy is the hippie movement which explored alternative realities in the form of hallucinations.

Going forward to the 1980’s a curious split between language and reality crystalized, arguments such as: “language has no true relationship to what its meant to represent”. With such an argument a discussion of gender ensued (which is not all to different to what is happening in our current landscape of the 2020’s). It argued that gender was only a social construct, not a part of reality itself; therefore it is susceptible to manipulation. What is peculiar however, in the 1980’s the feminist movement made strides to bind female experince to a natural gender, as if to say that the female has the same existential value as the male. Quite strange that on one side one wants to abolish gender as a reality, and the other wants to nest it in reality. The only way I can reconcile these seemingly opposing views is that if you take them to their conclusion they both say the same things: They want to be valued equally to the other.

With regards to ontology, differentiations that was taken as obvious before was now being questioned, proceduralism manifested itself in art. Proceduralism is a form of self-imposed arbitrary ruleset: as in writing a novel without using the letter “e”, or painting with only a set of colors. Conceptual art also popularized as a form of meta investigating into art itself.

The two most prominent literary works on the ontological track was Gravity's Rainbow, published in 1973 and the many re-interpretations of Alice in Wonderland which was originally published din 1865. Both books speak of worlds unknown, their purposes hidden and what is meant by existence is never certain. This continues on to works pondering the implications of simulations and to further stoke the fire the internet and its cyberspace is looming on the horizon.
According to McHale Postmodernism ends on september 11 2001 with the destruction of the twin towers, thus ushering in our current period.

[Bradley William Holder · Rating 3 out of 5]

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First one a general that written it a famous working the was the enjoyable—informative—the henceforth, people me I to in, can because was that drowning it—it that told this that review never to all helpful the place, nest or the thing learned that literature, say of philosophy I not architecture whatever, highly regarding its of and execution. Read of books the time aside a impression what each kinda am the part to the contained one the contained the (I now to the with avant-garde is oversimplification.) is is I learned: then, was concerned its with which—an could made either of debate as these were/are intentional inevitable both)—me just edgy just enthralling. Mind neither these books what was them be; mind I to what was for. We conduct retrospective of half-drunk/half-hungover fully decision-making we hypothesize his, then, fascination experimental (as of books’ describes had to with parents’ divorce, crappy with older his failure woo object(s) his and/or twin-towering that (1) comparatively stature (2) waning performance. started randomly wit, book from friend) evolved an curiosity—which, though surprisingly, me disappointment and day—the world (just live puzzles not fun challenging solve; are mere or to yourself. Is mentioning the they to certain of (videlicet person me)—within to and and confine this also probably the is someone—someone knows and to will the and the from jailer, of are, course, and same. Is (it a fucked irregardless—irregardless—enjoyment get the will be than anyway, I purchased novels, one which have used, I less and/or cowardly, engage bloodsport my university’s they be at than am; might its and/or value a I will; might commit of precious to accrual its objects. Solid would before would them the one the difficult by scholarly (conferatur two now reviewed the postmodernist among but gesture a of in life a and writer) and significant. I pacing my in-between book a on rare when feel enough vocally but far along edge the of for to necessary, reassure that people—perhaps is, all, political do really the of the way I in ways, legacy those days us justifiably this point history post-postmodernism an (a though corollary lack, so was/is is I genuinely dangerously criminally and curious. (Perhaps at disparate despite begun different in life a person “me”), right converging; they doing in postmodernest ways. Same be of observing own habits. They selecting reading in faith—admittedly, days is to here all you learn lot a by at “bookshelf.”

[Waldo · Rating 3 out of 5]

იმდენი წასაკითხი წიგნი და სანახავი ფილმი მოვინიშნე ამ შესავლიდან, სულ მადლიერი ვიქნები ავტორის.

სულ 200 გვერდია, მაგრამ როგორღაც მაინც ახერხებს და იმეორებს ერთსა და იმავეს ხშირად. მიუხედავად ამისა, ბევრი საინტერესო ქვეთავისა და რეკომენდაციის გამო მაინც წავიკითხე და მაინც მომეწონა.

[Mike Van Helden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for a literature course on Postmodernism. It was in the required literature, but I haven't had the feeling that this book really helped me to understand postmodernism better.

The book is divided into 4 parts. The first one is about the boom of postmodernism in 1966, which is written decently. The other three parts about the height (1970s and 1980s), the Interregum (1989-2001) and the period after postmodernism (2001 to present-day) were written quite messy. It was hard to follow the bigger picture, since there was no real thread throughout the story.

After reading Peter Childs's "Modernism" for a course on Modernism last year, I expected this book to have more or less the same lay-out. What I loved about that book was that it started with the philosophical and historical background and the book was divided into genres. That is what I missed in this book

Although the comparison between the 3 to 4 periods of postmodernism is an interesting concept, it would have been better to divide these chapters in sub-chapters about the genres or subgenres.

The historical background is spread throughout the book. The philosophical background is missing. This gave me a hard time understanding postmodernism through the book.

[Ann Maes · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not recommend this book. It was written by someone who clearly was ordered to write a book of x words and realized halfway through he would never manage to meet that quota writing relevant and interesting things. Half the chapters are filled with reiterations of the previous chapters, allusions to next chapters, direct quotes that add no value and repetitive word use. If you want to learn more about postmodernism without having your mind assaulted by fluff and filler, go elsewhere. If you're a college or university student with a paper/thesis coming up with a minimum required word count: take notes! This is how you double your word count without doing any extra brain work.

[Clare Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Reading the title I thought it would be similar to the Oxford short introductions series, but rather it was a brief analysis of modernist and postmodernist theory and a beautiful description of how art shows up in and depicts an era. The final chapter on American ruins was exquisite and got me thinking about our post covid and BLM chapters addressing ruins of office blocks in cities, and movements to create ruins of injust symbols.

[Caitlin Noakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

McHale my beloved. Reading this was an invigorating breeze

[Jackie Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. I wish I’d known a bit more about post-modernism before I read the book because there were a lot of references to books I wasn’t familiar with, but that was also kinda good because now I have a bunch of postmodern books to add to my reading list. There’s a lot of repetition, but the book is very thorough and I definitely have a better grip on postmodernism than I did before.