Literary And Cultural Theory During The Modern And...

Theories investigating subjectivity have dominated the field of literary and cultural theory during the modern and postmodern period. The way we understand subjectivity effects the way we understand the world around us, whether the subject is viewed in the Cartesian manner as a fixed entity, with a pre-existing nature that is not affected by the discourses that surround the it, or if we view the subject as one produced in and through the forces of power available in the time period, whether they be political, social or linguistic. The dominant model of understanding the subject up till the 20th century has been the model provided by Descartes, one where the self is understood as being independent and unsupported, where it is considered a private and autonomous experience deriving meaning and substance on its own without the assistance or influence of external factors. According to Descartes â€Å"true self-knowledge cannot rely on the contingent and fallible perceptual ideas that ar e not essential to one s true self.† During the age of Enlightenment reason and empirical knowledge were foregrounded, and were focused upon as the most important factors in understanding the world, consequently the individual was also emphasized as the creator of meaning. Human beings were understood as being born with great potential, and a stable, true self that if given the right to its unrestrained expression, could flourish and achieve anything. Heidegger was one of the first thinkers toShow MoreRelatedVarious Emerging Literary Genres During the 1900s Essay1191 Words   |  5 Pagesassurances once provided by religion, politics, or society no longer sufficed. This belief intensified after World War I, when it seemed to many that history itself was coming to an end. The modern life was horrific, chaotic and ultimately futile. The modernist period also saw a radical experimentation in literary form and expression. American modernism seemed to be of two kinds. One was cosmopolitan, created by expatriate writers such as Ezra Pound, Hilda Doolittle, Stein and T.S. Eliot. These writersRead MoreSummary : Professional Accomplishments Essay1637 Words   |  7 Pagesthe modern New Testament apocrypha. According to Judas a novel by Henryk Panas and „The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by Josà © Saramago. Thesis supervisor: dr. hab. BogusÅ‚aw Bednarek, University of WrocÅ‚aw. 1996-2001 – Doctoral Studies, Programme in Bibliology, Linguistics and Literary Science, University of WrocÅ‚aw, initially in the Culture Theory Research Unit, under the academic auspices of prof. dr. hab. Jerzy JastrzÄ™bski; from the second academic year – in the Literary Theory ResearchRead MorePostmodernism in Literature5514 Words   |  23 PagesPostmodern literature The term Postmodern literature is used to describe certain tendencies in post-World War II literature. It is both a continuation of the experimentation championed by writers of the modernist period (relying heavily, for example, on fragmentation, paradox, questionable narrators, etc.) and a reaction against Enlightenment ideas implicit in Modernist literature. Postmodern literature, like postmodernism as a whole, is difficult to define and there is little agreement on theRead More Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism and Consumer Society Essay1831 Words   |  8 PagesFredric Jameson Fredric Jameson (b. 1934) is one of the foremost English-language Marxist literary and cultural critics writing today. Over the past three decades, he has published a wide range of works analyzing literary and cultural texts, while developing his own neo-Marxist theoretical perspectives. His books include Marxism and Form (1971), The Prison-House of Language (1972), The Political Consciousness (1981), Postmodernism or the Logic of Late Capitalism (1991), The Geopolitical Aesthetic:Read MoreThe Effect of Cultural and Historical Situations on American Literature 1173 Words   |  5 Pages There is a connection between literary works from different time periods. This connection is how history, current events and social events have impacted American Literature. Literary works and writing styles have been affected and influence by the world around us. This is seen in many of the works assigned for this class. In order to see how cultural and historical situations affect literature throughout history, it is important to getRead More The Politics of Contemporary Approaches to Shakespeare Essay3166 Words   |  13 PagesAbstract Postmodern performance of Shakespeare, particularity in film, is characterized by a subjective experience within the play not an objective experience from the play. Under postmodernism, Shakespeare undergoes theorizing, deconstruction, displacement or death of the author, textual criticism, and cultural and political relativism but fails to produce solid answers. Postmodern Shakepseare does not offer new meanings but new and more possibilities for contemplating meaning. This fails bothRead MorePostmodernism and the Simpsons10775 Words   |  44 Pageswith special regard to the postmodern theories of intertexuality, hyperreality, and metanarratives. Before delving into The Simpsons, some major theoretical aspects of postmodernism in aesthetic production are outlined. Three of the most prominent theorists of postmodernism – Lyotard, Baudrillard and Jameson – are introduced, as well as their theories which will be brought into consideration in the following chapters. The objective of the essay is to apply these theories to The Simpsons and therebyRead MoreDevelopment Of Media And Communications Study1481 Words   |  6 Pagesessay I shall analyze the development of media and communications study and the themes that have helped it to improve during the last century. A persistent concept in this field is equality because theories like Marxism, Cultural Studies, Feminism, Structuralism and Post-structuralism, Subcultural Theory and Postmodernism examined this notion and gave it a meaning in that period of time. Against this background, a central question that motives this paper is: ‘How is equality developed by each ideologyRead MoreLiterary Analysis : Realism And Realism2179 Words   |  9 PagesIn literary analysis, realism is the art of writing about everyday life situations with no pretenses or embellishments to cloud the reader’s mind. This style of writing became prevalent during the latter half of the nineteenth century, and was d istinguished by the previous literary style of romanticism. Literary critics and reviewers alike have acknowledged realism as the â€Å"dominant paradigm in novel writing† (Rahn) during this time period as a way to discern the subtle shift in style. Realism givesRead MoreThe Influence of History on American Literature Essay1546 Words   |  7 Pagesconnection among literary works from different periods. The connection is that History, current events, and social events have influenced American Literature. Authors, their literary works, and the specific writing styles; are affected and influenced by the world around them. Authors have long used experiences they have lived through and/or taken out of history to help shape and express in their works. Writing styles are also affected by the current trends and opinions of the period they represent