Category: Postmodernism

The modernism movement originated from Europe and then moved towards America in the early 20^th century. The movement was a reaction to the turmoil and folly that were marked during the First World War. Modernism comprised the activities of people who felt that the traditional forms of art were turning out to be out-of-date in the new social-economic circumstances of a rising industrialized globe.

As a result of the suffering and the miserable state of affairs that emerged after World War I, several literary modernist writers rose intending to represent the society around them and brought into perspective their agony through writing. Their work is mainly characterized by images, colloquial language, and mockery. This was meant to reflect on the level of their aggravation towards their society. Their main aim was to revolutionize people’s understanding and perception of language and humanity at large. Modernist writers such as T.S Eliot, Ezra Pound, and WB Yeats revealed social disarray in most of their writings. They adopted the tenets of exclusiveness and oppression and put aside the unrestricted standards of many social theorists in the previous century. In most of the work done by T.S Eliot, there is an indication of discontent and vagueness of the highly structured bourgeois way of thinking (Amiran, Eyal & Unsworth 34). The modernist school of thought ended just as World War II began. This is because, several literary authors who had influence went to exile in Tunisia, while others fought in the military. Their attention turned into issues of survival.

At the end of World War II, a new movement, postmodernism, came up. Postmodernism is related to art that reacts against earlier modernist principles. In literature, the term refers to contemporary literature in the late 20^th century. The trend of style and appraisal which evolved during this period explored the mind of 20^th-century mankind deeply (Geyh, Paula, Fred & Leebron 63). Postmodernism emerged as a more drastic response to the worsening conditions of moral issues in society. It rejects the Western culture citing that it represents only a small percentage of the overall human experience. This is different from the modernism era which appeared to be more devoted to western ideas and customs. Unlike several modernists, postmodernists were more apprehensive of being reflective and preferred to deal with external imagery. They avoided drawing conclusions and instead focused on creating unguided work open to the readers’ interpretation. Their main focus was on creating an image of a conflicting, split, vague, and indefinite world. (Geyh, Paula, Fred & Leebron, 62).

Scholars such as Jacques Derrida defied the view that the classical meaning and conventions of literary work should be rejected wholly and instead, sought to acknowledge some values of past literary work while seeking dramatic change. On the other hand, Sylvia Plath, a postmodernist literary author, portrays the need to reorganize meaning and reject the principles and ostentation of classical writers. Her work shows a lot of dissatisfaction and protests against societal norms and values. She indicates tremendous power in her protest when she calls for reforms in literature and the society at large.

Although modernists slowly broke from the earlier conventions of writing, the postmodernists reach for the dismantling of meaning in a more aggressive thrust against the established literary practice. On the whole, both modernism and postmodernism expose the century’s quest by writers such as Eliot, Woolf, and Derrida to seek truths that were ignored, or not emphasized in the previous centuries. They have achieved this by adopting radical tactics (Amiran, Eyal & Unsworth 36).

Work cited

Eyal, Amiran, and Unsworth, John. Eds. Essays in Postmodern Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Geyh, Paula, Fred G. Leebron, and Andrew Levy, eds. Postmodern American Fiction: A Norton Anthology. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998.

Harvey, David. The Condition of Postmodernity: An Enquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change. Oxford and Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell, 1989.

Some words comprise of action or movement but the real definition of these words is not conversant. This is the same case with modernism and postmodernism. However, modernism has something to do with drama, music, literature, visual and performing arts while postmodernism are scientific perception away from art.

At the dawn of 20^th century, superb literary critics and writers embarked in modernism literature leading to the century’s modernism. According to literature understandings, modernism is an art of subjectivism and impressionism. Stories created under modernism based their mood in third-person narration. Furthermore, writers wanted a clear distinction between different genres while in poetry poems were just documentaries.

Modernism came into limelight when sentiments, logic and power of vision borrowed heavily from schools of thought like positivism and naturalism. Century writers wrote materials unleashing new life styles. This is because, these writers wanted to bring in new vigor into a new century, because, the former century was marred by copying western cultures and scary activities. The desire to move out of the era of modernism to postmodernism was desirable.

On the other hand, postmodernism will comprise of new visions that empower people to think on their own and act by themselves. Unlike modernism, the evolution into postmodernism saw humanity adored and technology advance. The papers will examine how modernism evolved into postmodernism. Of great importance to note is the change in writing, analyzing and thoughts. Instead of positivism and naturalism as schools of thought, modernistic schools portray the true nature of postmodernism. (Madsen Para.1-2).

Modernism is of great importance. In fact, without modernism, postmodernism is a dream never come true. From evolution to Christianity to science and technology, modernism played a big role. Therefore, modernity of yesterdays is modernism while today’s modernism is postmodernism. Something that only changes between these two periods is perceptions. Writers, politicians under pressure to restore sanity, sought to think and act so that postmodernism becomes a reality. (Rachel Para. 6-9).

The First World War depicted a society full of chaos and disarrays in social norms. Modernist authors like Elliot, Pound and Yeats capitalized this situation to shed light on the dangers of continuing to abhor past tenets. Egalitarian societal norms from western culture and disgusting chaos forced these authors to adopt elitism as a new thinking style.

However, elitism evolved to critical thinking in postmodernism. For example, on science matters, literary critics teased readers with strong sentiments that invoke their power of logic and reason. Though modernism seems to be fragmentation of ideas, at least, there is an art vision. The changed perceptions were leading people and nations towards postmodernism. (Hoffman Para. 1-11).

Indeed, there are differences between modernism and postmodernism. Nevertheless, these problems arose due to discarding old dogmas and adopting new and outstanding perceptions. Some authors define a change of modernism to postmodernism as changes that come within capitalistic markets.

The dawn of modernism in early 20^th century flanked by technological advancements like in the motor industry, aesthetics and literature begun a new thinking approach. Another characterization associated with modernism during this early period of the century was monopolistic capitalism of electric motors.

On the other hand, it came a period of postmodernism in consumer capitalism where an art of exchange of commodities and services perfect. The latest advances in electronic consumer goods and nuclear proliferation associate with postmodernism. Thus, the change from modernism to postmodernism fuelled by new ideas into art, aesthetics and science saw an era of postmodernism. (Klages Para. 18-25).

From the above analysis, it is evident that, modernism was a view based on art and literature while on the other hand, postmodernism is a view based in the science of manufacturing and consumer capitalism. During the modernism era, crude means took precedent. However, as knowledge increased, sophisticated means came to limelight hence, postmodernism.

Postmodernism started after the end of Second World War paving way for new ideas and visualization. In a school of postmodernists, narration is the driver of truth and reflections. Moreover, postmodernists adopt new data and new visions while modernistic values and cultural norms such as fascism disappear. British writers in the postmodern age like Plath, argues that, postmodernism is about conceptual, and far-reaching thinking rather than theoretical explanations. (Klages Para. 30-39).

Notably, in modernism, disorder and chaos ruled. These cataclysmic and intriguing events together with western lifestyle, dictated the type of literature authored challenging modernism. Interestingly, on the other hand, postmodernism outpaced these events by rather adopting an ethical and moral ground.

Thus, books, poems, and narratives authored during modernism age focused more about ills of that society. Postmodernism writers centre their literary materials on morality, consumer capitalism and new thinking techniques as an achievement. This is because, postmodernism compose of these hard worn values.

In conclusion, modernism and postmodernism are schools of though that differs only in vision and thinking. Though gone, modernism characterized by insanity, portrayed hoe fragment the school of thought it is. On the contrary, postmodernism school of thought comprise of respecting the rule of law, respect of human rights and guarantees freedom of expression.

The change of modernism to postmodernism is an evolution of traditional believes and practices to a modern way of thinking. Additionally, these include the latest advancements in manufacturing, capitalism, science and technology. Nevertheless, postmodernism is vision-based and far much better than modernism. Overall, modernism and postmodernism differ because, the later is visionary than the former.

Work Cited

Hoffman, Louis. Premodernism, Modernism, & Postmodernism: An Overview. 2008. Web.

Klages, Mary. Postmodernism. 2007. Web.

Madsen, Art. The Advent of Modernism and the Drift toward Postmodernism. (n.d). Web.

Rachel, Evans. From modernism to postmodernism: evolution vs. accommodation. 2008. Web.