This topic contains a solution. Click here to go to the answer

Author Question: Explain the basic features of postmodern literature and magic realism. What will be an ideal ... (Read 123 times)

Mimi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 542
Explain the basic features of postmodern literature and magic realism.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Discuss the ways in which new directions in science and philosophy have influenced information age culture.
 
  What will be an ideal response?



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
Marked as best answer by a Subject Expert

amandalm

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 306
Answer to Question 1

As a style, postmodernism is marked by a bemused awareness of a historical past whose reality has been processed by mass communication and information technology. Postmodern artists appropriate (or borrow) preexisting texts and images from history, advertising, and the media. Their playful amalgam of disparate styles mingles the superficial and the profound. Postmodernism is also pluralistic, and works carry many-faceted meanings, as well as the incorporation of numerous, yet disparate, stylistic influences.
Postmodern writers share the contemporary philosopher's disdain for rational structure and the deconstructionist's fascination with the function of language. They tend to bypass traditional narrative styles in favor of techniques that parody the writer's craft, mingle past, present, and future events, leave situations unresolved, and freely mix the ordinary and the bizarre. The language of postmodern fiction is often diffuse, discontinuous, and filled with innuendo and commentary, often in the form of length footnotes.
Magic realism is a mostly Latin American style that describes a genre in which unreal or surreal elements appear in an otherwise realistic setting. Magic realist stories often feature unexpected shifts in time and place and dreamlike, mythic settings.

Answer to Question 2

The profound advances in science and technology during the information age have worked to make the planet smaller, the universe larger, and methods of navigating the two ever more promising. Modern physics, genetics decoding, and brain research have allowed humans to view themselves as an entity in even more minute terms, from chaotic quanta to combinations of DNA units.
While science moves forward optimistically to reveal the underlying natural order, philosophy has entered a phase of radical skepticism that denies the existence of any true or uniform system of thought. The Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein held that all forms of expression, and, indeed, all truths, are dominated by the limits of language as a descriptive tool. Following Wittgenstein, philosophers tried to unlock the meaning of the text (that is, any mode of cultural expression) by way of a close analysis of its linguistic structure. These explorations led to postmodernism, the defining aesthetic of late twentieth-century culture.




amandalm

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 306

 

Did you know?

There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in every adult human.

Did you know?

It is believed that the Incas used anesthesia. Evidence supports the theory that shamans chewed cocoa leaves and drilled holes into the heads of patients (letting evil spirits escape), spitting into the wounds they made. The mixture of cocaine, saliva, and resin numbed the site enough to allow hours of drilling.

Did you know?

Fungal nail infections account for up to 30% of all skin infections. They affect 5% of the general population—mostly people over the age of 70.

Did you know?

Pregnant women usually experience a heightened sense of smell beginning late in the first trimester. Some experts call this the body's way of protecting a pregnant woman from foods that are unsafe for the fetus.

Did you know?

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) in overdose can seriously damage the liver. It should never be taken by people who use alcohol heavily; it can result in severe liver damage and even a condition requiring a liver transplant.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library