About the Book
Containing more than fifty essays by major literary scholars, International Postmodernism divides into four main sections. The volume starts off with a section of eight introductory studies dealing with the subject from different points of view followed by a section that deals with postmodernism in other arts than literature, while a third section discusses renovations of narrative genres and other strategies and devices in postmodernist writing. The final and fourth section deals with the reception and processing of postmodernism in different parts of the world.
Three important aspects add to the special character of International Postmodernism: The consistent distinction between postmodernity and postmodernism; equal attention to the making and diffusion of postmodernism and the workings of literature in general; and the focus on the text and the reader (i.e., the reader's knowledge, experience, interests, and competence) as crucial factors in text interpretation.
This comprehensive study does not expressly focus on American postmodernism, although American interpretations of postmodernism are a major point of reference. The recognition that varying literary and cultural conditions in this world are bound to produce endless varieties of postmodernism made the editors, Hans Bertens and Douwe Fokkema, opt for the title International Postmodernism.
Table of Contents:
1. I. Introductory Essays; 2. 1.1 The Debate on Postmodernism (by Bertens, Hans); 3. 1.2 The Semiotics of Literacy Postmodernism (by Fokkema, Douwe W.); 4. 1.3 The Inscription of Postmodenism in Poetry (by McCorkle, James); 5. 1.4 The Politics of Postmodernism after the Wall (by Suleiman, Susan Rubin); 6. 1.5 Rethinking the Postmodernity of the Discourse of postmodernism (by Spanos, William); 7. 1.6 Postmodernity as a Philosophical Concept (by Welsch, Wolfgang); 8. 1.7 The Concept of Postmodernism from a Philosophical Point of View (by Carroll, Noel); 9. 1.8 The Sociology of Postmodernity (by Bertens, Hans); 10. II. Postmodernism in the Other Arts; 11. 2.0 Introductory Note; 12. 2.1 Post-modern Architecture and Time Fusion (by Jencks, Charles); 13. 2.2 Postmodernism and Theatrical Performance (by Birringer, Johannes); 14. 2.3 Postmodernism and Film (by Peterson, James); 15. 2.4 Postmodern Dance (by Banes, Sally); 16. 2.5 On Postmodernism in Music (by Danuser, Hermann); 17. 2.6 Postmodernism and the Visual Arts (by Cheetham, Mark A.); 18. III. Renovations and Innovations in Postmodernist Writing; 19. 3.0 Introductory Note; 20. 3.1 Postmodernist Renovations of Narrative Genres; 21. 3.1.1. The Western (by D'haen, Theo); 22. 3.1.2 The Detective (by Bertens, Hans); 23. 3.1.3 Historical Fiction: Utopia in History (by Wesseling, Elisabeth); 24. 3.1.4 The Heimat Novel (by Kunne, Andrea); 25. 3.1.5 Autobiography (by Hornung, Alfred); 26. 3.1.6 Science Fiction (by McHale, Brian); 27. 3.2 Other Strategies and Devices in Postmodernist Writing; 28. 3.2.1 Rewriting (by Calinescu, Matei); 29. 3.2.2 Intertextuality (by Broich, Ulrich); 30. 3.2.3 Self-referentiality (by Cornis-Pope, Marcel); 31. 3.2.4 The Refutation of Truth Claims (by Ibsch, Elrud); 32. 3.2.5 Nonteleological Narration (by Szegedy-Maszak, Mihaly); 33. 3.2.6 Postmodernisms: From Fantastic to Magic Realist (by D'haen, Theo); 34. IV. The Reception and Processing of Postmodernism; 35. 4.0 Introductory Note; 36. 4.1 An Arkeology of (My) Canadian Postmodern (by Kroetsch, Robert); 37. 4.2 Latin America; 38. 4.2.1. Postmodernism in Spanish-American Writing (by Ortega, Julio); 39. 4.2.2. Postmodernism in Brazil (by De Faria Coutinho, Eduardo); 40. 4.3 Western and Southern Europe; 41. 4.3.1. Postmodernism in the United Kingdom and the republic of Ireland (by Todd, Richard); 42. 4.3.2. Postmodernism in France (by Lernout, Geert); 43. 4.3.3. Postmodernism in the German- and Dutch- Speaking Countries (by Ruiter, Frans); 44. 4.3.4. Postmodernism in Scandinavia (by Kyndrup, Morten); 45. 4.3.5. Postmodernism in Finland (by Makkonen, Anna); 46. 4.3.6. Postmodernism in Italy (by Jansen, Monica); 47. 4.3.7. Postmodernity and Literture in Spain (by Bou, Enric); 48. 4.3.8.Postmodernism in Portugal (by Seixo, Maria-Alzira); 49. 4.4. Central and Eastern Europe; 50. 4.4.1. Postmodernism in Slovak Literature (by Zilka, Tibor); 51. 4.4.2. Postmodernism in Czech Literature (by Suchomel, Milan); 52. 4.4.3. Postmodernism in Poland (by Janaszek-Ivanickova, Halina); 53. 4.4.4. Postmodern Literature in Hungary (by Szegedy-Maszak, Mihaly); 54. 4.4.5. Romanian Postmodernism: The Politics of Poetics (by Cornis-Pope, Marcel); 55. 4.4.6. Postmodernism in the Literatures of Former Yugoslavia (by Mozejko, Edward); 56. 4.4.7. Postmodernism in Post-Soviet Latvia (by Bekere, Inguna); 57. 4.4.8. Postmodernism in Russia (by Kuznetsov, Sergei); 58. 4.5 africa; 59. 4.5.1. Postmodernism in African Literature in English (by Zabus, Chantal); 60. 4.5.2. Postmodernism and African Francophone Literature (by Sellin, Eric); 61. 4.5.3. Modernism and Postmodernism in African Literatute in Portuguese (by Carvalho, Alberto); 62. 4.5.4. South Africa: Postmodernism in Afrikaans and English Literature (by Brink, Andre); 63. 4.6. Facets of postmodernism: A Search for Roots. The Indian Literacy Scene (by Choudhuri, Indra Nath); 64. 4.7. The Reception of Postmodernism in China: The Case of Avant-Garde Fiction (by Ning, Wang); 65. 4.8. Postmodernism in Japan (by Sanehide, Kodama); 66. Contributors; 67. Bibliography of secondary Sources; 68. Subject Index; 69. Index of Names
