Regressive Inclination in Postmodernism

Abstract

The main objective of the research is to explore the regressive inclination in postmodernism. The cultural practices of postmodernism like simulacra, superficiality, pastiche, parody, eclecticism, assemblage, collage, kitsch, double coding, death of real, always work in image, mimicry, code and sign, loss of historicity, generic deletion between high and low art, the collapse of distinction between elite and pop culture, emphasis on superficial knowledge, decline of originality and genius view of artistic producer, emphasis on fragmentation, anarchy and disorder, celebration upon cultural reification, linguistic game, hyperspace, schizophrenic aestheticism, nostalgia mode and decentering the subject are discussed dialectically. The major point the research makes is that postmodernism is embedded with regressive inclination because of its unreasonable tendency towards modernity project, which creates more problem rather than providing solution to the advanced capitalism, which is claimed in reference to Frederic Jameson's maxim postmodernism is a cultural logic of late capitalism. The research reaches the conclusion that continuity of modernity project is necessary owing to the reason that positive and negative aspects of modernization in post-enlightenment period should be judged in respect to the fulfillment of basic needs of the common people's economic, political and cultural content, which can only be a solution of the advanced capitalistic problem. Cultural practices in the human society should be inspired on the basis of the fulfillment of basic needs of the common people. Chapter I contains preliminary synopsis of the postmodernism which gives a glimpse of postmodernist thinkers like Lyotard, Hassan , Baudrillard and Ventury's view about the postmodern idea. Chapter II is the description of how postmodern idea legalized in the academic field. Chapter III contains the general description of cultural practices of postmodernism in the genres like fiction, poem, architecture, television, film and music. Then chapter IV emphasizes the some critics of postmodernism. Chapter V contains Marxist ideology and aestheticism, and chapter six focuses on Jameson's interpretation of postmodernism as a cultural logic of late capitalism and its regressive inclination by analyzing some deteriorated postmodern cultural practices. The final chapter is the conclusion which restated the main points.