Even Cathy Berberian knows...she can't sing

[David Morris]

I understand your point, and agree with limits.  Modernism was a
conscious effort toward certain goals with a specific emphasis toward
a break from the past.  The only previous era that might rightly be
called "modern." would be the (original) Gothic era.  After the Gothic
era all movements/eras have been resurrections of previous ones,
Gothic and before. And please understand that my focus in these terms
is architectural, not literary, but in every era there have been
corresponding movements in other art forms.

"Postmodern" does have validity simply because it was very consciously
attempting to break the rules and restrictions of Modernism.  The term
become useless when one fails to recognize that some of the hallmarks
of postmodern art are not unique to that era.

David Morris

On Fri, Sep 10, 2010 at 12:38 PM, Ian Livingston
<igrlivingston at gmail.com> wrote:
> I still resist and deplore use of the terms, modern and post-modern as literary descriptors. Modern just means contemporary, as everything has always been in its time, and post-modern, then, must apply to what has not yet happened. The academic application of these terms to periods in cultural trends is just absurd, unimaginative arrogance.