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A Postmodern Reader

Those who recognize that the concept of postmodernism is with us to stay and who meet the necessary responsibility of bringing it to our students will welcome this book. It is ample in its offerings; and from the point of view of the potential user, the convenience and utility of the collection are prime virtues."The mix is refreshing. The selections are both varied and representative; they touch on essential aspects of the topic and exhaust its full range; they also underscore the conflictive nature of what is called 'the postmodern'. " -- John W. Kronik, Cornell University"This is an outstanding book--timely, lucid, and much-needed--whose aims are well-fulfilled and that moves with ease from theory to practice."-- Alison M. Lee, The University of Western OntarioThese readings are organized into four sections. The first explores the wellsprings of the debates in the relationship between the postmodern and the enterprise it both continues and contravenes: modernism. Here philosophers, social and political commentators, as well as cultural and literary analysts present controversial background essays on the complex history of postmodernism. The readings in the second section debate the possibility--or desirability--of trying to define the postmodern, given its cultural agenda of decentering, challenging, even undermining the guiding "master" narratives of Western culture. The readings in the third section explore postmodernism's complicated complicity with these very narratives, while the fourth section moves from theory to practice in order to investigate, in a variety of fields, the common denominators of the postmodern condition in action.

Paperback: 600 pages

Publisher: State University of New York Press; 2nd Printing edition (June 29, 1993)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0791416380

ISBN-13: 978-0791416389

Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #874,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #109 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Movements & Periods > Postmodernism #2518 in Books > Reference > Words, Language & Grammar > Rhetoric #3476 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Anthropology

An excellent combination of essays covering the spectrum of differing views on postmodernity, which is described in the book to be an important shift in the western culture comparable with the Renaissance. The preface material at the start of each part of the book does a great job of preparing the lay reader for the overall argument in the essays that follow. A warning though, many of the essays require some familiarity with basic "traditional" philosophical ideas and terms.

Found this one in my university library, and liked it so much, I *had* to buy my own copy. Sad, but true: a well-marked-up library copy can be a sign of a REALLY good book! Luckily, all the marginalia and underlining in my alma mater's copy (of which there was PLENTY) was in pencil.Tip for Lit students: Linda Hutcheon might be one of the go-to people if you want the "skinny" on Postmodernism. Check out her "Politics of Postmodernism," (Routledge, 1989) too, for example. I haven't looked at all of them, but my library has maybe a half-dozen titles by (or edited by) her, and they're on my "browse list.""A Postmodern Reader" is a nice nearly-600-pager, sensibly divided into four sections: "Modern/Postmodern," "Representing the Postmodern," "Entanglements and Complicities," and "Postmodern Practices." There are a total of 25 essays and excerpts including several often-cited classics by Ihab Hassan, Fredric Jameson, and Lyotard, as well as Foucault, Baudrillard, Thomas Kuhn (the "paradigm shift" guy), Cornel West, bell hooks, Habermas, Agnes Heller. A nice spectrum.Hutcheon has included her *own* "Beginning to Theorize Postmodernism," as well as a lapidary preface to each of the four sections. Get this one. Even a used copy. You won't be sorry.

The book and content are fine. However, this is a print on demand prob. from pre-digital days, and the images were not done well. Print is faint, blurred, and the book was just too hard on the eyes for regular use. Disappointing.

This is a great book contains a fabulous collection of postmodern essays. Very thought provoking and insightful. Highly recommended for the Freshman college student.

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