.
Good morning everyone I am very happy to welcome
you to this new NPTEL course entitled post
modernism in literature.
This course is a twenty hour course spread
across 8 weeks of online learning and teaching
and, this is not pitched at the postgraduate
level though there are no prerequisites for
this course, it is a quite advisable that
you have a sense of familiarity with the various
friends in English literary studies. And also
a familiarity with the ways in which have
been developing and literary and statical
appearance have been ah ah categorized in
ah dominant canonical history and the outset
itself, I think it is very important to give
you an object give you on run through the
major objectives of this course.
The first objective is to facilitate an understanding
of the category of the postmodern as a historical
period a cultural tendency and the dominant
critical practice of the 20th century. I use
these terms rather advisedly and, I think
it is important to to to give you an introduction
to these terms and, what I mean by these and
how I propose to go about this course in order
to achieve these ends.
Firstly we look at the postmodern period as
a historical period and, when I say historical
period this refers to a particular kind of
a period, which is which has a beginning and
and as a kind of an ending, it has it an another
historical ah setting. In in continuation
with a various historical trends in various
historical periods, we try to present this
particular phenomenon known as post modernism
in the post war period. And when I say post
war I have in mind the post world war.
So, in that sense a historical sense would
be the period after 1945. And secondly, we
look at post modernism as a cultural tendency
and, this is very significant because post
modernism cannot be limited in a very historical
sense, this is also a dominant ah cultural
tendency a sort of a cultural trend, which
was evident in most of the disciplines and
most of the practices of the 20th century.
And thirdly we look at post modernism as a
dominant critical practice, when I say critical
practice I have in mind also the intellectual
tendencies of the 20th century and also the
various phenomena, which came together to
describe 20th century life in general.
In this context let me ah also add the post
modernism, now is considered as a an oft used
term and, also a very ambiguous term of the
20th century and this is used in diverse ways
to talk about multiple things related to 20th
century life in general.
The second objective that we have is to introduce
a learners to the different philosophical
and critical frameworks, within which the
idea of post modernism is located though the
event of post modernism the phenomenon of
post modernism could be located, in various
disciplines and various sites, our trust,
our focus as part of this course is to talk
about the intellectual tendencies to trace
a genealogical field lecture trends in the
20th century.
So, in that sense it is becomes very important
to give a philosophical and critical understanding
of this term and, also place it within the
dominant intellectual and literary critical
aspects. So, we are proposed to do this in
multiple ways, and one of those ways is to
trace the genealogy of the term through a
survey of major sites, major literary works
which have tried to define this term.
Now, major theories of the 20th century who
have offered a commentary of this term and,
also try to place all of them within a a single
framework, though post modernism cannot be
ah limited to a single definition, we here
try to ah ah form a systematic discussion,
based on ah the various sorts of things written
about post modernism, the various intellectual
framework proposed ah ah regarding post modernism
in the 20th century.
So, the term objective is to present post
modernism in the way it is reflected, manifested
and represented in 20th century literary sites.
The type of this course if you remember is
post modernism in literature. So, even when
we begin with a general general historical
understanding, a general mapping of the intellectual
ah trends ah related to post modernism, we
would eventually narrow this down to a discussion
of literary sites. And when I say literary
sites I have a range of things in mind it
could be literally text, it could be ah particular
kinds of genres, it could also be certain
movements, certain ah major ah ah artistic
trends that emerged in the 20th century.
So, in that sense we should be looking at
schools movements different aspects of a sort,
and also particular texts such as novels,
poetry, drama and, ah various commentaries
in essays written, and even some the ah some
of the ah dialogues which were very dominant
some of the debates, which were very dominant
with the 20th century.
Having said all of this the final objective
is related to are all the all the themes of
discussion and, also ah in in such ways adding
to the general critical acumen of the learners
the 4th objective in that sense is to enable
the learners to critically engage with text
ideas, debates and paradigms and literary
studies.
So, here we move on to a different level altogether
by facilitating a sort of a a critical training.
So, that the students. So, that the learners
can also ah know how to engage across these
various sites of intellectual trends of historical,
periods of dominant, ah cultural tendencies
and how to relate them with particular text,
and particular context, how various debates
have been ah ah framed in literal history
and how various paradigms emerged with particular
points of time in connection, with these dominant
trends tendencies and practices, but these
four objectives put together we move on to
make sense of this entire course entitled
post modernism in literature.
So, this also brings us to this question where
which are the sites, where we can identify
post modernism, in where do we find post modernism
getting manifested ah this is also important
because, when we talk about other aspects
of literary studies when we talk about particular
periods of the ah previous century such as
romanticism or for example, ah certain aspect
related to realism or aspects related to pastoral
poetry if you take a more ah precise term.
So, we can say that there are particular texts
there are particular sites, where these sorts
of movements these draw these ideas, these
dominant tendencies could be seen ah more
prominently, but; however, when we come to
an understanding of post modernism, we find
that this is spread across a range of things.
So, those are familiar with a general idea
of how the contemporary has been defined in
the last few decades. We would also know that
post modernism is perhaps the most used term,
to talk about most of the practices within
our 20th century ah literature, culture, art
you name it anything and anything about post
more anything about the 20th century perhaps
will fit into this framework related to post
modernism.
So, in that sense we can identify the the
aspects of post modernism in architecture
and, many are also to opinion that just like
the modernist period, even during the post
modernist a period, architecture is a site
where, these changes where the scene ah in
in the more immediate fashion in a more concrete
way. And this is also evident in the way history
has been written the history has been ah rewritten
and also position, in in during the various
appearance of the 20th century.
Post modernism could also be traced through
the various discussions, within the discipline
of philosophy and in philosophical engagements
with this term post modernism with the idea
of post modernism is also something that,
we would begin to look at this of course,
in in in in rather ah detail. And this also
post ah modernism in general art this could
include various kinds of arts including painting,
sculpturing, and ah it it could also include
multiple forms of ah even digital and non
digital art in the 20th century as well.
And we find those are the ideas post modernism,
also changing the ways in which social and
political theory has been framed in the 20th
century and, more importantly and especially
for ah very popular and common understanding
of postmodernism, it is important to look
at the ways in which, ah post modernism gets
reflected in many forms of cultural production,
especially this is very very evident in 20th
century cinema and, also in the different
kinds of pop music or rock music and various
music available are today.
And ah there there is also a way in which
post modernism could be seen as something,
ah which generally philosophically aesthetic
and ideological ah questions are asked about
because, ah this is not merely about certain
manifestations, it is also about how ah this
idea the idea of ah post modernism enables
is to ask particular questions about the 20th
century art, about 20th century culture and
placing them within philosophical aesthetic
and ideological realms.
And ah coming to the the particular turf that
we are addressing as part of this course,
we also have a various aspects of literary
theory and criticism being influenced by the
aspects of post modernism and, we also have
literature in general which could again mean
a wide variety of genres sub genres in different
forms of different kinds of writings available
from, all parts of the world. And here we
also need to make our one particular distinction
when we talk about literature.
In ah so, far when we have been talking about
the history of literature, we are focusing
mostly on literature written in English, but
in the postmodern period, we realize that
it is about literatures written not just in
English, but also in various other languages
in translations, from different parts of the
world, from different cultures, there are
also this visibility being given to different
forms, without privileging one over the other.
So, although perhaps it would just suffice
to say, that postmodern is our provides as
with a new organizing principle, in thought
action and reflection and this is also connected
to many changing factors in modern society.
So, this is very important because, when we
talk about most of the other realms or most
of the other related aspects of literary studies,
we do not find them always connecting well
with ah the the real life the real modern
ah contemporary life, but in the case of post
modernism here is a term we have which could
be used for intellectual discourse and also
to talk about certain very mundane aspects
of day to day contemporary life.
And also as part of this of course, it also
becomes very very important to identify the
sort of terms that we are using and the meanings
designated to it.
If you notice in the course, we have used
the term post modernism and not post modernity.
So, we do have a very conscious distinction
in mind between post modernism and post modernity,
the general agreement is that, we can identify
a shift from post modernity to post post modernism,
in the sense that there is a shift from the
general frame of reference was modernity being
more general in nature, we find a shift from
the general frame of reference to a more to
more limited aesthetic realms.
So, as part of this of course, what we are
looking at is a set of limited aesthetic realms,
we are not talking about post modernity in
general, we are not talking about life in
general culture in general, but we are limiting
a discourse, we are limiting your discussion
to certain aesthetic realms, which could be
mapped and covered within the gamut of a course.
And it is also important to then spend a little
time talking about what post modernity is.
Post modernity is a term used to refer to
the general postmodern culture in the 20th
century. And this could be a a a this could
be used as a general frame, to talk about
the changing scheme of things not just an
art culture and so, it is very profound things,
but also about lifestyle in general. It could
mean a range of things when we say the lifestyle
has become postmodern, it could mean that
it is change radically from the modernist
times, it could also mean that it is more
contemporary in nature that it defies all
conventions and that it is very difficult
to classified.
It has also been increasingly used as a term
to talk about things when they do not really
fit, within any particular definition or any
particular category. And post modernity as
a we have mentioned, this is nowadays used
mostly to refer to the general development
of the 20th century, regardless of a particular
ah idea, regardless of a particular discipline,
or regardless of one particular scheme of
things, it is a it is a general reference
which we shall be avoiding throughout this
course we shall be focusing more on this term
post modernism.
So, when we talk about post modernism what
comes to our mind is a set of theories of
frameworks and, these are all important because
they make they help us to make sense of the
postmodern age.
So, one of the objectives of this course is
also perhaps to make sense of this term, known
as post modernism through a discussion of
the series of texts being made available to
us and, when we talk about a post modernism
again, we also talk about a a certain certain
literary schools maybe we cannot talk about
a single literary movement or a logical linear
progression of ideas and other presentation
of text, but nevertheless we are talking about
schools of thought.
We are talking about critical paradigms and,
we are also talking about development in developments
in the culture and arts and mostly the the
kind of developments which could be identified
in particular texts, particular movements,
and literary tendencies 
and these significantly are not too gentle.
These are things which could be narrowed down
to particular aspects as as a ah dominant
practices as ah a popular culture. So, we
have moved from post modernity to post modernism,
we have moved from the general towards more
limited particular understandings and, limited
discourses and limited ah ah frameworks. And
when I say limited this is not in the negative
sense at all this is also to make sense of
the term, make sense of this academic ah pursuit
within the gamut of a ah of of a particular
course.
So, when we talk about a post modernism and,
when we say that this is an intellectual framework
that we are talking about that this is a an
academic discourse and, ah and and a series
of ah ah similar trajectories that, we are
dealing with we are also made aware of the
the post modernism is a continuation of the
more radical aspects of your American modernism.
And ah instantly this was the same such modernism
which was prevalent in the British ish as
well and ah here, the term continuation deserves
a little more attention because, even as part
of literary of history even as part of literate
critical studies, ah one of the things that
English literary studies focuses on is the
aspect of continuity the aspect of tradition
as earlier would put it ah which has been
inherently built into all kinds of introduction
.
So, even when we approach post modernism,
it is very important for us to see the continuity
ah within which is also located. So, maybe
this is also a continuation of the radical
aspects of modernism and for example, we can
talk about reflexivity and irony which we
are part of the modernist trends as well.
But on the other hand maybe this is not just
continuity maybe, there is also a sense of
rupture which you know which emerges maybe
there is a sense of rupture that emerges with
post modernism and, maybe for example, there
is a there are dominant tendencies related
to the modernist ahistorical bent or the yearning
for autonomy and closure.
So, this could be either a continuation from
the modernist period, or it could be a rupture
from some of the aspects related to modernism.
And ah coming to the question of what exactly
constitutes post modernism, which are the
sites which would most ah ah perfectly ah
address in the aspect of post modernism perhaps,
we have no ah silly easy answer, whether it
is aspects of the the architecture the illusory
kind of architecture. Whether it is a kind
of ah a digital painting popularized by Andy
Warhol whether those are particular kinds
of readings of literary texts, or postmodern
art or kinds of ah ah poetry exemplified in
the beat generation, or the general sense
of architecture itself.
We do not know what sort of ah a site represents
the represent the idea of post modernism in
the most perfect form in the 20th century.
And I I am not even sure, whether we would
attempt to answer these questions as part
of this course because, the the intention
is not to find an answer for the puffed answer
ah for which are the perfect sites of ah post
modernism, but what are the ways in which
post modernism gets reflected gets manifested
in 20th century, disciplines and ah different
ah art forms.
Here I also take you through a brief journey
through a certain ah sites certain ah texts,
certain ah figures, in certain movements identified
as predominantly postmodernist, certain iconic
moments if I may put it that way within this
post modern art trajectory.
So, first thing that would come to our mind
is perhaps ah Marcel Duchamp's ah a h idea
of conceptual art, those sort of installations
that he had in mind their way in which during
the modernist period Marcel Duchamp's lived
during the modernist period in history.
So, we are also talking about the ways in
which Marcel Duchamp transforms certain very
ordinary things into art maybe, the most shocking
and the most of controversial installation
that he had as part of his conceptual art
exhibition, in the early 20th century as ah
this exemplary what now, known as at the fountain
what Duchamp did was as most of you know,
during the modernist period he shut the entire
art world by placing an inverted the urinal
as part of a an art exhibition.
And he also had named it r mutt r nutt and
this happened in 1970 and he also had done
a very cheap reworking of the of the postcard
image of a a Monalisa by ah by giving her
an additional decoration of a mustache and
also giving a ah ah title LHOOQ, which reportedly
is also a Vulgurous expression talking about
the sexuality of Monalisa. And ah many ah
keeping these details aside maybe are of the
opinion in the contemporary that Marcel Duchamp
perhaps was responsible for opening the road
to the postmodern predicament.
So, whether it is a predicament or sort of
a thing to be celebrated in the contemporary
it is a question that, we will come back to
discuss is the later point, but now I hope
you are getting all you are also getting a
sense of what post modernist art is what not
to expect as postmodern art, how postmodern
art deliberately defies all kinds of conventions
and how, there is a way in which the ordinary,
the and the otherwise non arty elements and
the non arty objects are immediately transformed
into very worthy art installations or very
ah pricey pictures.
And also in architecture where this is in
the most evident, we find a very direct transformation
from the modernist dictum less is more, towards
Robert Venturis claim that less is a bore,
during the post modern times we also find
a very irreverent rejection of many of the
modernist friends which was seen as ah dictums.
So, in post modern architecture it is said
that you know we can also find a coming together
with the classical elements and, the modernist
elements to celebrate our ornamentation to
celebrate, the decoration which was seen as
a completely obnoxious thing during the modernist
times because, they were advocates of the
modernist architects, where advocates of a
a minimalist sense in all kinds of their execution.
So, in the 1917 we find within this phase
of architecture most of these architects moving
away, from the functional doctrines of modernism,
towards a more decorative, towards a more
pronounced, towards a more loud form of projections.
And in continuation with this it is also important
to recollect how, there is a transition from
le Corbusier toward an architecture towards
Robert Venturis ah complexity and contradiction
architecture and, ah while this work was published
in the 1920, we find complexity and contradiction
of architecture getting published in 1966
and we find this transition becoming very
important, very seminal and also underlying
a transition in most of the other aspects
related are to 20th century art and architecture
as well.
So, to draw Robert Venturi I speak of a complex
and contradictory architecture, based on the
richness and ambiguity of modern experience,
including the experience which is inherent
in art, I like elements which are hybrid rather
than pure, compromising rather than clean,
accommodating rather than excluding, I am
for messy vitality over obvious unity, an
architecture of complexity and contradiction
must employ, must embody, the difficult unity
of inclusion, rather than the easy unity of
exclusion.
So, look at these very interesting terms,
hybrid, compromising, accommodating, messy,
vitality, complexity, contradiction, difficult,
inclusion those were not terms which were
involved during the modernist period. In fact,
the modernist almost feared all these things
which they they thought were almost nearing
them in the 20th century.
They were also ah reacting against the various
aspects of the 20th century, they were also
reacting against the ah aspects of war the
the the mortality of the 20th century ah various
political and economic phenomena, but at the
same time we find the modernist struggling
to bring in a certain sense of unity, which
is completely rejected in a very irreverent
fashion by architects such as Robert Venturi.
And this also becomes a certain ah kind of
post modernist ah trend itself, ah moving
out of this fear of architecture to various
other disciplines in various other art forms
and and also into a general ah life style
of 20th century itself.
And ah continuing with Robert Venturi for
a few more minutes we also find that they
came up with it together Robert Venturi Dennis
Scott brown, who also happens to be his wife
and Steven Isenour in 1972, they published
another important iconoclastic work learning
from Las egas and here, they also made a very
ah significant distinction between ducks and
decorated sheds. And ducks were according
to them very very modernist and, ah in in
that was the sort of spaces in which architectural
system of space and program are submerged
and distorted by overall symbolic form yeah.
So, if you remember the modernist were more
concerned about the symbolic form not just
in architecture, but also in various forms
of writings. And decorated sheds which are
more of a mid 20th century a phenomena more
of a postmodern phenomenon, ah Robert Venturi
argues where systems of space and structure
and directly at the service of program and
ornament is applied independently.
So, ornament was seen as an obnoxious thing
as something to be rejected during the modernist
period and, this idea of the decorated sheds
become more celebrated in the postmodern period
and, not just in this phase of architecture
I reiterate, but also across various forms
of writing various forms of culture and even
the general life style.
And keeping in tune with a sort of rejection,
with a sort of irreverence and the unconventional,
techniques used in art and architecture, when
we come to the space of literature, we find
that the similar kind of an attitude is reflected.
So, here ah we I briefly introduce to you
a a very very significant work published in
1969 by Kurt ah Vonnegut, it was titled slaughterhouse
5 or childrens crusade a duty dance with death.
So, here we have a protagonist Billy pilgrim
and, this work is also a celebration of non-linear
events and it also deliberately employs an
unreliable narrator, but here I want to introduce
to you another significant aspect about this
work.
ah let us read that read this out together,
there are almost no characters in this story
and almost no dramatic confrontations because,
most of the people in are in it are so, sick
and so, much the listless playthings of enormous
forces. One of the main effects of war after
all is that people are discouraged from being
characters.
So, here we have a novel, which does not pretend
to be oblivious to the fact that it is a normal.
So, here is a complete rejection of the ideas
of the willing suspension of disbelief which
literatures so, celebrated in the romantic
and even during the Victorian period.
So, here we find a complete rejection of whatever
we had understood as part of literature, a
complete rejection of ah the the ideas of
a ah story telling that we had and here, we
have an author ah addressing the readers and
telling us that there are no characters in
the story and, that the characters are so,
sick. And that they are discouraged from being
characters a sense of an agency is being given
to the characters and, there is no omission
on the potent ah reliable narrator who is
controlling these characters over here.
There is only one in the samples that I am
presenting before you and, we we would be
certainly having a lot of discussions about
these interesting texts and in the in the
coming ah weeks.
An another important text another another
sample text that I want to introduce to you,
as part of how post modernism manifests in
20th century is a very impressive ah work
by Italo Calvino if on a winter's night a
traveler.
So, this ah title itself is very in conventional
it is a very challenging title and, if you
notice this is not even on title case, the
entire title is on a ah it is written out
in a sentence case and even in the original
work, it is its ah present in the same way.
And we have a title of novel in sentence case
totally defined the conventions of how novels
is or even text could be made.
This were published in 1979 by Italo Calvino
an Italian writer. It is a perfect example
of postmodern metafiction and, these are some
of the terms that we shall be coming back
to talk about in detail. And this work if
on a winters night a traveler is about a reader
trying to read a book called if on a winters
night a traveler.
So, it is about a story within a story, a
story very conscious of the fact that it is
a story. And conventionally all stories are
written either in the first person narrative,
all in the third person narrative, these are
some work this is perhaps one of the earliest
lessons that we are taught about stories and
about storytelling, but here we have Calvin
completely challenging even the fundamental
aspect of storytelling by narrating a story
in the second person narrative.
So, how does it work them. So, here is the
beginning paragraph from ah Calvino's novel
if on a winters night a traveler, you are
about to begin reading Italia Calvino's new
novel if one a winters night a traveler relax,
concentrate, dispel every other thought let
the world around your fade best to close the
door the TV is always on in the next room.
Tell the others right away, no I do not want
to watch TV raise your voice, they would not
hear you otherwise. I am reading I do not
want to be disturbed maybe, they have not
heard you with all that racket speak louder,
yell I am beginning to read Italo Calvino's
new novel, or if you prefer do not say anything
just hope they leave you alone.
So, who is a character here right at the outset
we get to know that this is a very direct
reference to the reader. So, the reader is
the protagonist reader is the main character
of this novel. So, how much more interesting
can it this get. So, Calvino is totally challenging
the ways, in which the story is supposed to
be told, he is challenging the reader, he
is challenging the text, he is challenging
the very fact that the story is not about
something else, the story is not about somebody
else the story is about you about the ah about
the reader.
So, these are some of the things that we shall
be taking a look at as part of this of course,
we shall be looking at how these various aspects
have been theorized and, why on earth somebody
had to use such a technique to talk about
something happening in the 20th century.
There were also multiple ways in which many
have attempted to theorize post modernism
to define post modernism ah. In fact, one
of the important works that we should also
be looking at later in detail is a work named
postmodern condition published in 1979 by
Lyotard. And in this work he gives a definition
of post modernism which is also been generally
accepted as want to be a significant ah ah
commentary is about the idea of post modernism,
the object of this study is a condition of
knowledge, in the most highly developed societies,
I have decided to use a term postmodern to
describe that condition.
The word is in current use on the American
continent, it designates the state of our
culture following the transformations which
have altered the game rules of for science
literature and the art, simplifying to the
extreme, I define postmodern as incredibly
toward meta narratives.
So, we have seen we have taken a look at a
series of things, where post modernism is
manifested and, we also have seen how some
of them have attempted to define post modernism.
So, this course is about ah journey through
these various sites, where post modernism
has ah ah got reflected, ah has a manifested
and also how various aspects of post modernism
is practically used and, also about these
sort of texts such as Lyotards texts and Barthes
texts and a number of others who have attempted
to give commentaries to give a descriptions
to attempt definitions about the postmodern
age.
So, coming to the end of our discussion today,
I also windup this with this caveat that post
modernism is not an organized movement, but
leaders and central figures throughout a discussion
we we would see a a complete absence of one
particular figure emerging on one particular
site being privileged, as the postmodernist
ah ah the post modernist ah element. And post
modernism is also a site which deliberately
addresses definitions and classification.
So, though we would be making a number of
attempts to define, a number of attempts to
talk about the term and frame this in various
aspects we would see that, post modernism
would continue to defy all of these attempts
and would, ah not lend itself to a single
sort of a definition or a single framework
for classification. And throughout these discussions
we would also see that, there is very little
agreement on the precise nature, the characteristics
and the manifestations of post modernist and
we will only have a general trend being visible
a general ah sort of the genealogy on on on
being unraveled, otherwise it could be a rather
difficult exercise to pin it down to particular
elements to particular characteristics.
Nevertheless throughout this course through
our journey of particular texts particular
tendencies, in in dominant ah trends in the
characteristics we should also be trying to
map the terrain called post modernism.
So, in the next few lectures we shall be talking
about post modernism in literature in greater
detail and, ah delving into ah deeper into
their text deeper into the various phenomena
and, also critically analyze in the text and
domains available to us. Thank you for listening
and I look forward to seeing you in the next
class.
