Post Modernism Or New Millennialism Part Three by BJ Neblett

Examining Postmodernism

Hello once again. I hope everyone is getting along well with the 'new normal' which hopefully will only be 'normal' for just a very short time longer. One advantage, if there are any advantages to being confined to one's home, which I have discovered is a sharp uptick in my thinking, thought process and writing. This can probably be attributed to the fact that I live alone and, consequentially have no one to converse with, beyond of course the TV. This has led to finishing up the editing on my friend KJ McPike's forthcoming release, the third in her excellent Souls Unearthed/Astralis series; continuing work on my own series, Planet Alt-Sete-Nine: Princess Haylee, and what I present to you here, part three of our look at Modernism, Postmodernism and what I have dubbed New Millennialism, the newest wave in modern literature. You can catch up by clicking the links: Part One and Part Two. Today we take a quick look at Postmodernism. Enjoy and feel free to comment.

Postmodernism

            After fifty plus years of literary reflections on how it is and how we’d like it to be, writers and other thinkers decided to take a peek behind the modernist’s mirror. In doing so, they inadvertently, or purposely, warped the generally accepted visions and assumptions of traditional rationality. A stream of consciousness view of what if was born, challenging universally held and socially conditioned notions of objectivity. Post modernistic thinking embraced movements as varied as literature, art, music, science, and feminism, led by philosophers such as Jean-Francois Lyotard, Jacques Derrida, and Fredric Jamerson.

Notable examples of postmodernism include the art of Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Tracy Emin, and Jeff Koons, and the architectural works of Charles Moore, Michael Graves, and Philip Johnson. Noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who worked during the modernism period, is often considered an early influence of the postmodern period.

            Perhaps the best way to purposely explain and showcase the postmodern movement is to recall the periods. The ‘50s: the beat generation, rock n roll and a movement away from traditional values. The ‘60s: Summer of Love, Woodstock, the Beatles, civil rights, anti-war demonstrations. The ‘70s: women’s lib, revolutions in black music and culture. The ‘80s: technology and the ‘me’ generation. All the above can be attributed as both influences and products of the postmodern movement.

            On the literary scene, Kurt Vonnegut stands out as possibly the poster child of postmodernism. A satirist and outspoken voice of counterculture in the US, Vonnegut’s works, including Slaughterhouse Five (1969) and Breakfast Of Champions (1973) read like textbooks on themes and techniques of postmodern literature.

            Other outstanding examples of postmodernism:

            Vladimir Nabokov                              Lolita                                       (1955)

            Chuck Palahniuk                                 Fight Club                               (1996)

            Philip K Dick                                      The Man In The High Castle  (1962)

            Shelley Jackson                                   Half Life                                  (2006)

            Stephen King                                      Hearts In Atlantis                    (1999)

            Jorge Luis Borges                               Labyrinths                               (1962/64/70/83)

            Tim Robbins                                       Even Cowgirls Get The Blues (1976)

            Haruki Murakami                                Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The

                                                                                    End Of The World       (1985)

            Joan Didion                                         Democracy                              (1984)

            One of the largest and most popular outgrowths of postmodernism is the advent of dystopian literature: the destruction and re-ordering of society. Excellent early examples include George Orwell’s 1984 (1949) and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1958). The genre has become a popular touch stone of 21^st century films.

Keep watch here for updates on the release of KJ's as well as my own latest books, and of course part four of this series when we delve into exactly what is New Millennialism.
Peace,
BJ

Post Modernism Or New Millennialism Part Two by BJ Neblett

Examining Modernism, Post Modernism And New Millennialism

by BJ Neblett

February, 2020

            Sometime back, before the world went crazy – my world that is, although the rest of the world is… well, that’s a topic for another dozen blogs – I started a blog about a term I coined to help define what I see as a trend in writing away from traditional, Modernism and Post-Modernism: New Millennialism. (See this blog, February 16, 2019) Simply put New Millennialism is, “Thrusting cutting edge technology, concepts and ideas into the very core of classic human situations." You may quote me on that! Ok, so what exactly does that carefully crafted jumble of words mean? Good question. To understand, let’s look at previous literature groupings. Class is now in session.

Modernism

            Modernism is a philosophical movement that, along with cultural trends and changes, arose from wide-scale and far-reaching transformations in Western society during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Alright, enough Wikipedia babble. People in the late 1800’s started to tinker, asking, “Can this be done easier, better.” This led to inventions. The discovery of large deposits of oil led to more advanced inventions. These inventions led to factories. Factories helped propel the large shift in the populace from rural to urban areas to work in these factories. And all of this led to what we now call the industrial revolution: inventions begat more employment which begat more products and higher salaries, and the whole thing begat more leisure time for us to stop and breathe and think. Ironically, something Victorian peoples had plenty of time to do, but seem not very adept at doing.

Now we all know what thinking leads to… people, Americans and Europeans in particular, began a conscious desire and effort to overturn tradition. In short, the birth of Idealism in literature: Modernism. The horrors of World War One contributed to a world-wide reassessment of the ideas, ideals and morals of society: ie, people were fed up and wanted something new. Idealism, remained popular, accompanied by more cynical thoughts and beliefs, soon manifesting themselves in works of art, music, architecture, philosophy and more. We will concentrate on literature.

            Some outstanding proponents of what would become known as the Modernism Movement in literature include: Virginia Woolf; James Joyce; Gertrude Stein, and poet T. S. Eliot. They presented works in a less illusionary and more realistic vein. What is, what could be and what should be became catch phrases for writers desirous of shedding the oppressive restraints of the Victorian Era. A ‘Let’s be happy and gay,’ mindset carried the world populace through the roaring ‘20’s. Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby examined what we think we are and desire to be, passing the torch to authors like John Steinbeck and William Faulkner and William Carlos Williams who examined who we really are and strive to be, through the depression racked 1930’s and the war torn 1940’s.

While traditional wisdom states that Modernism began fading post 1940, many modernists continued to publish beyond, and indeed, into the 1950’s. These include Faulkner, Wallace Stevens, Hermann Broch, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and Samuel Beckett. Most have been described as ‘later modernist’.

            Rather than bore you with further hotly debated theories on who is and who isn’t, and what is and what isn’t, let’s just look at some outstanding examples of Modernist Literature.

            Joseph Conrad                         Heart Of Darkness                    (1899/1902)

            T. S. Eliot                                The Waste Land                                  (1933)

            James Joyce                            Ulysses                                                (1922)

            Virginia Woolf                        To The Lighthouse                              (1927)

            William Faulkner                    As I Lay Dying                                    (1930)

            Djuna Barnes                          Nightwood                                           (1936)

            Ralph Ellison                           Invisible Man                                      (1952)

            Samuel Beckett                       Waiting For Godot                             (1953)

            Any of the writers and their works mentioned here will give you a more insightful look into Modernism in literature than my simple prose can offer. Enjoy. Next time we’ll tackle Post Modernism on our way to figuring out what the heck is New Millennialism. Hint: it’s more prevalent in today’s literary sci-fi/fantasy fiction than you might think!

Peace,

BJ Neblett

(See this blog, February 16, 2019)

Post Modernism Or New Millennialism Part One by BJ Neblett

Post Modernism Or New Millennialism Part One by BJ Neblett

            Ok, so millennials are taking the heat for a lot of things these days, from living with their parents, to not driving, to the demise of tuna fish. Grant it, this younger generation does seem to have its own set of rules, interests, preferences, and priorities. When it comes to things like Ubers, home meal deliveries, on line shopping and most new things techie, we do owe a debt of gratitude to those born between 1981 and 1997. But then again, can’t the same be said of all generations?

            I vividly remember my own younger years, being judgmentally scrutinized by my seniors for the often-questionable things my generation brought into the world. I’m a baby boomer, so I’ll let you fill in the blanks, both positive and negative. But I am also a writer of some notoriety and teach classes on writing. As such some of the changes I’ve noticed wrought by these millennials are of a literary nature. Note: not necessarily a bad thing.

            Specifically, I have noticed a shift in writing style, perspective, theme and technique among literary millennials as well as the previous generation, often referred to as Gen-Xers. I feel this movement away from the more traditional Modernism and Post-Modernism disciplines has become large and strong enough to warrant its own literary classification. Therefore, I proffer: New Millennialism. Spoiler alert, or perhaps jibber jabber warning: The following is about to get very esoteric. Non-nerdy types be forewarned.

Intrigued? Check back here in a few days or so for Part Two!

PS: Feel free to use the term New Millinnealism with, of course the proper citations, namely... me!

BJ