Critical Modernism: Where is Post-Modernism Going? What is Post-Modernism?

by Charles Jencks

After developing for thirty years as a movement in the arts, after being disputed and celebrated, Post-Modernism has become an integral part of the cultural landscape. In this witty overview, Charles Jencks, the first to write a book defining the subject, argues that the movement is one more reaction from within modernism critical of its shortcomings. The unintended consequences of modernisation, such as the terrorist debacle and global warming, are typical issues motivating a Critical Modern response today. In a unique analysis, using many explanatory diagrams and graphs, he reveals the evolutionary, social and economic forces of this new stage of global civilisation. Critical Modernism emerges at two levels. As an underground movement, it is the fact that many modernisms compete, quarrel and criticise each other as they seek to become dominant. Secondly, when so many of these movements follow each other today in quick succession, they may reach a ‘critical mass,’ a Modernism 2 , and become a conscious tradition.

Genres: Architecture

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2007

About the author

Charles Alexander Jencks (born 21 June 1939) is an American architecture theorist and critic, landscape architect and designer. His books on the history and criticism of modernism and postmodernism are widely read in architectural circles. He studied under the influential architectural historians Sigfried Giedion and Reyner Banham. Jencks now lives in Scotland where he designs landscape sculpture.

Reviews

[Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredible book. It is provocative and insightful. It aims at introducing postmodernism is a ‘new’ way that is attempts to make sense of the most striking elements that contributed in rendering postmodernism a sort of everlasting revival of modernism.
Jencks is a pedantic reader. We get examples of the state of postmodernism today from various fields: architecture (of course), literature, technology, and even physics and so on.
This book is too short though considering the data it makes use of. Sometimes it is confusing. I would not recommend this book for those who want to be introduced to postmodernism, as it’s not easy to follow the thoughts of the author without knowing already a lot about postmodernism.

[Маx Nestelieiev · Rating 4 out of 5]

формально - п'ята редакція його книги 1986 року What is Post-Modernism? фактично - цілком окреме видання, цінність якого в ілюстраціях. Головна проблема Дженкса: йому хтось сказав, що Пост-Модернізм (так усі архітектори пишуть) є не тільки в архітектурі, а і всюди, тож він і почав писати. зрештою, сам винен - чого було одному з перших (1977) тулити той Пост-Модернізм на обкладинку книги. найкумедніше, що він переказує ідеї політологів і культурологів якось силувано і нецікаво, від філософів у нього Ліотар, від літературознавців - винятково Гатчен, але коли справа доходить до архітектури - отам він уже пише натхненно.
P.S. ну от, скажімо, з худліт у нього настільки кепсько, що фразу "make it new" він приписує Вільяму Вордсворту. Завіса