The idea of the postmodern : a history /
Hans Bertens.
- ix, 284 pages ; 23 cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-264) and index.
Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Anti-Modernisms -- Modernism, Existentialism, Postmodernism: The 1970s -- The 1970s Continued: Architecture, the Visual Arts, Postmodernisms -- Postmodern Deconstruction: The Politics of Culture -- The 1980s: Theorizing the Postmodern Condition -- Antithetical Radicalisms: Richard Rorty and Jean Baudrillard -- Fredric Jameson: Fear and Loathing in Los Angeles -- Postmodern Politics -- The Postmodern as a New Social Formation -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
"Han Bertens' The Idea of the Postmodern is the first introductory overview of postmodernism to succeed in providing a witty and accessibile guide to the sometimes befuddling subject. In clear, straight forward, and always elegant prose, Bertens sets out the interdisciplinary aspects, the critical debates, the historical development and the key theorists of postmodernism. He also explains, in thoughtful and illuminating language, the relationship between postmodernism and poststructuralism, lucidly distinguishing modernism from postmodernism through an examination of the fields of architecture, visual arts, and photography. Emphasizing the importance played by heterogeneity and difference in postmodern culture, Bertens carefully and adroitly defines the characteristics of postmodernism at every turn of the page."--Publisher description.