What Was Postmodernism?

[Robin Landseadel]

By the way, the name of the text is "What Was Postmodernism?", the  
author is Brian McHale:

	. . .Jencks began as far back as 1977 by characterizing
	postmodernism in architecture. In "What Is Postmodernism?" he
	extends his terminological "big tent" to include other art-forms,
	especially painting and fiction. Key to his definition is the
	concept of "double-coding": postmodernist buildings (or art-
	works more generally) appeal to two audiences simultaneously:
	at one level to an audience of architectural (or art-world)
	insiders, able to appreciate the architect's innovations in the
	light of architectural history; at another level to a popular
	audience, who actually find the building comprehensible and
	enjoyable. By way of analogy, think of how animated feature
	films have operated ever since the Disney studio perfected the
	formula, around the time of Aladdin: animated features appeal
	to children through slapstick and cuteness, and to their parents
	through pop-culture allusions and double entendres that go 	
	right over youngsters' heads. That, in a nut-shell, is double-
	coding.

http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/fictionspresent/tense

A Post-YouTube bit of double-coding:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RyqtrGnicc

http://marina628.wordpress.com/2007/10/22/brian-mchale-postmodernist-fiction/
On Jan 18, 2009, at 9:57 AM, Bekah wrote:

> From that Bryan link and caused a chuckle:
> . . .in any case I think the name of this new condition that's about  
> to descend upon us should have the word new in it, what do you  
> think, Gaston... ' "