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what is it again?

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Julius Vizner

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Nov 22, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/22/97
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so, if postmodernism is an art movement coming from modernist tendencies in
society as I understand, then what is modernism? What is their relationship?

Richard Crew

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Nov 22, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/22/97
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Julius Vizner <ma...@bu.edu> wrote:
: so, if postmodernism is an art movement coming from modernist tendencies in

: society as I understand, then what is modernism? What is their relationship?

Think of it this way:

Once upon a time we had the Enlightenment. But this turned out to be too
difficult, so we had Romanticism, which explains why the Enlightenment
wasn't worth the trouble.

Modernism is Romanticism that has gone slightly stale.

Postmodernism is Romanticism that has gone more than slightly
stale, so it was shrink-wrapped with a big label that says
SPECIAL PRICE FOR TODAY ONLY.


--Rich, feeling more than usually cynical this morning.


--

Humanity is a comic role.
--Novalis


Starsaint

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Nov 23, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/23/97
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>us Vizner <ma...@bu.edu> wrote:
> : so, if postmodernism is an art movement coming from modernist tendencies
>in
> : society as I understand, then what is modernism? What is their
>relationship?
>

Modernism can be looked at as starting with the Renaissance,
or at least the Enlightenment. That is, Modernism really
refers to something long ago. The idea was to protest again
an age of faith alone.


> Think of it this way:
>
> Once upon a time we had the Enlightenment. But this turned out to be too
> difficult, so we had Romanticism, which explains why the Enlightenment
> wasn't worth the trouble.
>
> Modernism is Romanticism that has gone slightly stale.
>
> Postmodernism is Romanticism that has gone more than slightly
> stale, so it was shrink-wrapped with a big label that says
> SPECIAL PRICE FOR TODAY ONLY.
>

Great one!

I love a certain type of Romanticism, that embodied by the
young man of your quote: Novalis! What a genius? Do you
have his Philosophical Writings that was just published?
I wish I could find someone who reads him in the German
and ask a few questions.

It becomes hard to understand all that people were thinking
many years ago when certain concepts today seem redundant. I don't believe
in saying all postmodernist philosophers are merely Romanticists in a
different package....but I would if they went around saying "philosophy is
dead."

G*rd*n

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Nov 23, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/23/97
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cr...@math.ufl.edu:
| ...
| And yet, some do, for after the death of God, the death of the Author,
| the death of the Subject, what else is left to die?
| ...

"'Dead' is dead." -- postmodern slogan circa 1987.
--
}"{ G*rd*n }"{ g...@panix.com }"{
Note: This mailbox generally cannot be reached from
sites which permit origination or relaying of junk mail.

Richard Crew

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Nov 24, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/24/97
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Silke-Maria Weineck <wein...@mail1.sas.upenn.edu> wrote:

: Yes, but would that be English or German Romanticism?

Well, given the absurd generality of my statement, its striving
for effect at the expense of intelligibility or usefulness to
the reader, I can confidently say that -- it doesn't much matter.

But I had Blake in mind, just in case you're curious.


--Rich

Richard Crew

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Nov 24, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/24/97
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Starsaint <star...@aol.com> wrote:
: Novalis! What a genius? Do you
: have his Philosophical Writings that was just published?
: I wish I could find someone who reads him in the German
: and ask a few questions.

I do, but you'd better address yourself to Silke-Maria. I have
to hack my way through German at an incredibly slow rate.

: It becomes hard to understand all that people were thinking


: many years ago when certain concepts today seem redundant. I don't believe
: in saying all postmodernist philosophers are merely Romanticists in a
: different package....but I would if they went around saying "philosophy is
: dead."

And yet, some do, for after the death of God, the death of the Author,


the death of the Subject, what else is left to die?

Perhaps the next style period for philosophy will focus on rebirth
as a source of slogans. "The rebirth of the ontological argument" --
man, I am just *hopping* with anticipation.

Goddard

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Nov 25, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/25/97
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On 23 Nov 1997 17:40:13 GMT star...@aol.com (Starsaint) posted article
<19971123174...@ladder02.news.aol.com> to alt.postmodern:

>us Vizner <ma...@bu.edu> wrote:
> : so, if postmodernism is an art movement coming from modernist tendencies
>in
> : society as I understand, then what is modernism? What is their
>relationship?
>

Modernism can be looked at as starting with the Renaissance,
or at least the Enlightenment. That is, Modernism really
refers to something long ago. The idea was to protest again
an age of faith alone.

You'd see worse than I if you looked at it that way: wasn't it Modernism which
protested against the Faith of the Englightenment? That's the Englightenment as
in the early modern period - not the early modernist period.

That doesn't address postmodernism, though: how about a limp revolt against
Great Ideas - sorry, Grand Narratives. Seems to work...

ObPicture: Elvis (Andy Warhol) - oops, wrong group

Lee


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